Results, The Last Detail

Cobie Smulders and Guy Pearce in Results

Andrew Bujalski's Results is a romantic comedy with an off kilter triangle that I seemingly enjoyed a smidge more than most folks. As in Computer Chess, Bujalski injects his brand of mumblecore with enough technique to make ninety minutes pass swimmingly. Whether summarizing six months of a character's life with a montage sequence or breaking down a promo pitch via YouTube, Bujalski documents how 21st century romance persists in the age of Instagram and Facebook. Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders and the busy Kevin Corrigan are all charming despite their characters' flaws. Elizabeth Berridge (Mrs. Corrigan) makes a welcome, but all too rare appearance in this nice film. 

Randy Quaid and Jack Nicholson in The Last Detail

A film I didn't like as much as most people is Hal Ashby's The Last Detail . Ashby is primarily an actor's director and the efforts of Nicholson, Randy Quaid, and Carol Kane are wonderful and marvelously supported. Gilda Radner has a nice cameo as a manic cultist. Nancy Allen is a whore! However, Ashby's visual style, realistic grunge with a tinge of dope addled sweetness, has always left me unmoved. Robert Towne's adaptation provides a sturdy framework for this road movie and its talented players. I hated the music. Johnny Mandel's recycling of nautical and patriotic themes for comic, MASH style effect struck me as overkill. Ashby's tawdry portrayal of East Coast America circa 1972 saves the movie from sentimentalism, but often falls prey to the humdrum inanity of realistic decoration. Nevertheless, along with Shampoo, Being There, and the maudit 8 Million Ways to Die, this is one of Ashby's better films. (6/21/16)