Mr Jealousy is Noah Baumbach's second feature after Kicking and Screaming. It stars Eric Stolz in the title role, he's Lester Grimm, a would-be writer, former TV producer and substitute teacher who was traumatized at the age of fifteen by witnessing the infidelity of a girl he'd dated three times but never kissed. His chronic jealousy ultimately ruins every relationship. But now he's met Ramona – Annabella Sciorra – and he's determined to play things differently. The only trouble is Ramona has a lot of past lovers and they keep turning up. One of them is Dashiell Frank – Chris Eigemann – who's just had a major success with his first book of short stories, one of which is apparently based on his relationship with Ramona. Lester decides to join Dashiell's therapy group led by Professor Poke – the director Peter Bogdanovich, posing as his best friend Vince – Carlos Jacott– who's just about to marry Lucretia – Marianne Jean-Baptiste. Things do get complicated, particularly as Dashiell thinks he's found a new best friend in Lester... or should I say Vince...
This is such a nice film, it has an unsentimental honesty about it that delves into the pitfalls of contemporary relationships – everyone's carrying a lot of baggage in these enlightened times. It's so good to see Eric Stolz centre stage again, he presents a stoic vulnerability that's very appealing and the nonsense that he and his friends carry on with sounds real. The problem is, it's not terribly interesting. We don't get a lot of insight into Ramona which is a pity because Annabella Sciorra makes her fascinating. I'm a big fan of Chris Eigemann from Whit Stillman's films and he breaks out of his preppy mode in this to play Dashiell with delightful and likeable frankness.
Mr Jealousy is a comedy without a lot of laughs and a romance without a lot of loving but for all that it offers considerable insight into life and love for thirty somethings without presenting any pat answers.
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