Carrie Pilby is such a delightful character that she deserves a movie better than the one that bears her name. As played by Bel Powley, the heroine of the indie comedy “Carrie Pilby” is a 19-year-old genius, smart enough to know that she may have peaked at 14, when she was admitted to Harvard. At the start of the film Carrie’s unemployed and friendless in New York City, and seeing a therapist, Dr. Petrov, (Nathan Lane) who suggests she take some simple steps to find happiness. And as she’s working her way down the doc’s list in her own quirky way, “Carrie Pilby” itself ticks all the boxes of a routine feel-good young-folks-in-the-city picture.
Based on a novel by Caren Lissner — directed by first-timer Susan Johnson, from a script by Dean Craig and Kara Holden — the film follows the rough outline of a quest, with every mission suffering comic complications. When Carrie tries to satisfy Dr. Petrov’s advice that she get a pet by buying a goldfish, she inadvertently goes to a store holding a “buy one get one free” sale, forcing her to try and keep two animals alive. To cross “go on a date” off Petrov’s list, she answers a personal ad from an engaged man (played by Jason Ritter), because she intends to expose his lies. Petrov’s “re-read a favorite book” prompt reminds her that she loaned her beloved first edition “Franny and Zooey” to the Harvard literature professor who seduced her at age 16, which leads her to reminisce about the one disastrous sexual relationship in her life so far. Every task goes awry—though in the process, Carrie’s life does actually become more interesting, and thus more joyful.
The list structure is a fine one for a comedy, though “Carrie Pilby” lacks a certain rigor in the way it goes through its steps. Everything here is situational, and ultimately contrived. Carrie’s a loner until the plot requires her not to be. Carrie makes exactly the wrong decision over and over again because that’s potentially funnier, not because those choices flow organically from who she is. The movie’s exaggerations for theatrical effect are at their worst in the opening 15 minutes, which are excruciatingly overwritten, with monologues where dialogue should be. “Carrie Pilby” stars with scene after scene of the heroine awkwardly spilling her backstory to friends and strangers alike — all so the audience will know who she is and how she became such a sad-sack.
Many of the complications that Carrie’s facing in her life — like the mom who died when she was young, the dad (played by Gabriel Byrne) who’s rarely around, the alienation of life in NYC, and a general lack of interest in romantic relationships — are standard-issue for this kind of upbeat, inoffensive indie fare. Most of the men who cross Carrie’s path also look like they came right out of central casting, with their buff bods, perfect hair, and hip facial hair. “Carrie Pilby” needs more characters like the ones played by Vanessa Bayer and Desmin Borges, who bring a ragged comic energy to the roles of Carrie’s co-workers a law firm where she gets a job as a proofreader.
Yet as trite and pat as so much of this movie is, Powley herself is so good in the lead that she mostly redeems the whole project. Powley’s Carrie is a lot like the youngster she played in her breakout film “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” — only less worldly and more nerdy. Initially, she comes across as insufferable, but by the end of the film her incessant fussiness and defensiveness become legitimately charming, They’re the flaws that balance out her brightness. As someone who fancies herself as intellectually and morally superior to everyone she meets, Carrie spends a lot of time pushing people away as unworthy, though she’s understands deep down that she’s just trying to avoid the difficulties of real adult relationships, because she knows that she’s not really prepared for them yet. This “emotionally immature braniac” character is funny and heartbreaking in equal measure. Carrie Pilby is special. “Carrie Pilby” is less so. [B-]
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