Laggies

Loads of comedies have been made about guys with arrested development, so it only seems fair that we should have some distaff examples. Unfortunately, Lynn Shelton's Laggies is just as feeble as most of its male-oriented brethren. Keira Knightley, acting as broadly as the star of any network sitcom, plays Megan, a young woman at a standstill in her life: jobless and living with a blandly attentive but unexciting boyfriend (Mark Webber). When she catches her dad (Jeff Garlin) in a compromising situation and her boyfriend suddenly proposes, Megan is thrown into a tizzy, falling in with teen Annika (Chloë Grace Moretz), who agrees to let her crash at her house for a few days to think over her options. Naturally, Megan becomes a surrogate mother to Annika while developing romantic feelings for the latter's divorced dad (Sam Rockwell). A rather lame story of a thirtysomething woman trying to find herself by becoming a high-schooler again, Laggies suffers from capitulation to sitcom conventions, which are often dished up with a surprising amount of casual cruelty. Rockwell is his customary charming self, but Knightley's habit of scrunching up her face and gesticulating wildly quickly wears thin. Shelton retains a bit of her usual indie grunge, but this film isn't much removed from typical studio rom-coms—and frankly doesn't rank higher than middle of the pack. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Lynn Shelton, deleted scenes (10 min.), a “Lagging On” segment with Shelton (9 min.), a “Shooting Seattle” location featurette (6 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray is a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a so-so film.] (F. Swietek)