The musical theme is a sprightly French tune led by an accordion that might develop a psychological set in the viewer, something like: "Oh, good, a Jaques Tati kind of movie!" Mais pas de tout.
Jeff Garlin is a good natured enough Chicagoan and a little clumsy but there is no slapstick worth mentioning, he minds his own business, his innocence doesn't get him into trouble, he speaks loudly and emphatically, he's ambitious rather than feckless, and he's burly instead of tall and skinny. But he shares with M. Hulot a polite regard for the welfare of others.
The problem with Jeff Garlin, a cast member of Chicago's Second City, is that he's not particularly handsome and he's overweight. By the way, I don't know if it's intentional or not, but the Second City sketch we see, something about Garlin's being a hillbilly who likes corn, is anything but funny. At any rate, his weight and his features, which are about as interesting as a hard-boiled egg, don't get him very far with the girls. Invited to speak about himself and his job before a class of kindergartners, he announces loudly, "My problem is that I need to get laid." The little kids sit there dumbly while their teacher's jaw drops. It's one of many cute scenes. Then there is his mother, hanging over him, predicting his every move and divining his every thought.
Then he bumps into Sarah Silverman and begins to get resonant vibes. She's an interesting actress. She does well by a rather complex role. She's attractive too, with her vulpine face and her eyes set so close to each other across the bridge of her nose. And she's surprisingly well built. She's trying on underwear in a department store and Garlin is doing his best to sneak sidewise glimpses of her behind the curtain. A sales lady comes to him and asks him to take another pair of bra and panties to "your girlfriend." This struck a personal chord because I was once asked to do a similar favor for a beautiful girl I hardly knew. (I gulped and complied.) I don't know if I should reveal why an attractive young woman like Sarah Silverman should be interested in a nice but plump guy like Jeff Garlin. I guess I won't. It's enough that, the next day, Garlin goes around with a big smile and tells everyone, his mother included, that, "Last night I had sex for the first time in five years." It really IS something like "Marty" without the drama. There are constant references to "Marty" throughout the film. Garlin tries out for the part in a local play, arguing, "I AM Marty!" But Marty was genuinely in love with the frangible Betsy Blair, while Jeff Garlin, though he likes Silverman, seems mainly interested in sleeping with her. And Garlin, smiling and puzzled as he often is, never experiences a moment of despair -- which is okay with me, as far as that goes.
It's a pleasant enough way to spend an hour and a half and it has its moments of quirky charm, much of them coming from Garlin's oddball friends, like a hot dog vendor dressed as a pirate.
Jeff Garlin is a good natured enough Chicagoan and a little clumsy but there is no slapstick worth mentioning, he minds his own business, his innocence doesn't get him into trouble, he speaks loudly and emphatically, he's ambitious rather than feckless, and he's burly instead of tall and skinny. But he shares with M. Hulot a polite regard for the welfare of others.
The problem with Jeff Garlin, a cast member of Chicago's Second City, is that he's not particularly handsome and he's overweight. By the way, I don't know if it's intentional or not, but the Second City sketch we see, something about Garlin's being a hillbilly who likes corn, is anything but funny. At any rate, his weight and his features, which are about as interesting as a hard-boiled egg, don't get him very far with the girls. Invited to speak about himself and his job before a class of kindergartners, he announces loudly, "My problem is that I need to get laid." The little kids sit there dumbly while their teacher's jaw drops. It's one of many cute scenes. Then there is his mother, hanging over him, predicting his every move and divining his every thought.
Then he bumps into Sarah Silverman and begins to get resonant vibes. She's an interesting actress. She does well by a rather complex role. She's attractive too, with her vulpine face and her eyes set so close to each other across the bridge of her nose. And she's surprisingly well built. She's trying on underwear in a department store and Garlin is doing his best to sneak sidewise glimpses of her behind the curtain. A sales lady comes to him and asks him to take another pair of bra and panties to "your girlfriend." This struck a personal chord because I was once asked to do a similar favor for a beautiful girl I hardly knew. (I gulped and complied.) I don't know if I should reveal why an attractive young woman like Sarah Silverman should be interested in a nice but plump guy like Jeff Garlin. I guess I won't. It's enough that, the next day, Garlin goes around with a big smile and tells everyone, his mother included, that, "Last night I had sex for the first time in five years." It really IS something like "Marty" without the drama. There are constant references to "Marty" throughout the film. Garlin tries out for the part in a local play, arguing, "I AM Marty!" But Marty was genuinely in love with the frangible Betsy Blair, while Jeff Garlin, though he likes Silverman, seems mainly interested in sleeping with her. And Garlin, smiling and puzzled as he often is, never experiences a moment of despair -- which is okay with me, as far as that goes.
It's a pleasant enough way to spend an hour and a half and it has its moments of quirky charm, much of them coming from Garlin's oddball friends, like a hot dog vendor dressed as a pirate.