Spin Me Round

Alison Brie in Spin Me Round

Jeff Baena's Spin Me Round is a promising, yet ultimately unsatisfying dark comedy. The screenplay by Mr. Baena and the film's lead, Alison Brie, critiques the romantic comedy format, but the film's blows against the patriarchy are not incisive enough and there are few laugh out load moments. Since his feature debut Life After Beth, still his best film, Baena has directed five films that have featured strong ensemble casts and undistinguished direction. The pacing, both in individual scenes and over the films as a whole,  is always too slow and the director often indulges his supporting players to diminishing effect, Like most of his films, Spin Me Round is pleasant, but wan. 

Brie plays the manager of an Olive Garden type restaurant in Bakersfield who wins a company contest to visit Italy. There, the founder of the company (Alessandro Nivola)  sweeps her off her feet, but, as the audience knows way before Ms. Brie's character, he is ultimately trying to groom her as a playmate for one of his sumptuous orgies. This is yet another fish out of water comedy, but I think Barb and Star Visit Vista Del Mar covers the same ground with more style and pizzazz. It is mostly convivial to see the antics of Baena's burgeoning stock company (Aubrey Plaza, Molly Shannon, Fred Armisen check in), but Spin Me Round is, at best, merely pleasant.