“Quirky” has become a dirty word, usually used as a quick throwaway to colorfully describe something that’s “cute” or “weird” or “interesting.” But these are the words that came to mind upon watching “Entanglement,” the sophomore feature film from director/producer Jason James. A darling, twisty, and yes, very “quirky” rom-com about depression, isolation, suicide and one’s place in the world, it’s both cliched and subversive, yet hard to categorize, and for good reason.
Following a failed suicide attempt not long after a devastating break-up, Ben Layten (Thomas Middleditch) is searching for meaning in his existence. Emotionally unfulfilled and seemingly unemployed, Ben’s only sources for solace are found in his sympathetic neighbor Tabby (a captivating Diana Bang) and with Dr. Jill Franklyn (Johannah Newmarch), a concerned child psychologist who makes an exception for the 30-something year-old. Ben’s the type of character who makes a map of his life “up till now” on his wall to “figure out where it went wrong,” walks around with scruffy and unkempt hair, and talks about the universe religiously. A stop by the pharmacy sparks a chance encounter between Ben and Hanna (a spellbinding Jess Weixler), an adorable, sarcastic, impulsive and instantly understanding young idiosyncratic woman who immediately gives him her phone number upon their first interaction. But before you yell “manic pixie dream girl,” let me finish with the rest of the story.
When his father is rushed unexpectedly to the hospital, Ben learns a startling revelation: he almost had an adopted sister. Through a strange series of events, Ben’s parents adopted a daughter on the same exact day they found out Ben’s mom was pregnant with Ben, making them ineligible to continue with the process. Ben embarks on finding his almost-sister, only to realize that his almost-sister is in fact Hanna, the woman he met only a few days before. Shortly after a series of meet-cutes, Ben asks Hanna if she’ll become his sister-in-spirit, and she agrees. But once they spend more time together, their relationship expectedly takes a more intimate turn. As even more revelations come to pass, Ben must figure out who exactly Hanna is and how and why she came into his life at this specifically turbulent time.
Beautifully filmed, delicately told and filled with stylistic flourishes, “Entanglement” is nice on the eyes and easy to watch. There is a consistent, tender, inviting loveliness to how the movie is executed that makes it go down smoother than other movie-esque depictions of mental illness. While it doesn’t dig up any unearthed thematic territory, it is unabashedly sincere in its intentions, almost to a fault. For most of its running time, “Entanglement” makes you think it’ll go one direction, then goes another way, before going back into that one direction, then flips it all on its head again. It’s more nuanced than it first appears, and that comes down to how it plays with (and against) the familiar, well-trotted tropes of mopey men and the manic pixie dream girls they meet.
The script, by Jason Filiatrault, wants you to think it falls on the same shelf as “Garden State” or “Elizabethtown,” even as it critiques the mindset behind those type of protagonists. It’s not exactly as clever as it thinks, nor is it on par with other examinations of those types of movies like “(500) Days of Summer” or “Ruby Sparks.” It’s nonetheless confident, and even if it isn’t perfect at communicating its themes, the results are still charming and enjoyable.
Middeditch and Weixler share a palpable chemistry, and they both play to their strengths. Middleditch remains an endearing, lovable protagonist, much like he is on HBO‘s consistently-excellent “Silicon Valley,” and Weixler is an intoxicating, delightful presence. “Entanglement” doesn’t necessarily say anything new about angsty, depressive males and definitely not about anyone of the opposite gender. But it’s an unexpectedly winning film, and even when you’re ready to write it off, it offers surprises that keeps you engaged. “Quirky,” “cute,” and “weird” may be overused adjectives, but sometimes those words fit, and sometimes those tropes do work well. [B-]