Mutual Appreciation

Mutual Appreciation is the second film from Andrew Bujalski, following Funny Ha Ha, and I've found both of them slyly infectious and enormously winning. Each one is a slightly shapeless rumination on post-college life, peopled with characters who are smart and funny, if a bit aimless. Bujalski works with the bare minimum of expense, and his scripts have an improvisational quality (I wouldn't be surprised if the dialogue is all improvised) but the effect is just as profound as if the films had cost millions to make.

Funny Ha Ha had a female protagonist who was sort of at her wit's end. Mutual Appreciation is a bit more ambitious, dealing with three people. Alan (Justin Rice) has moved to New York from Boston to further his music career. He hangs out with his old buddy Lawrence (Bujalski), a teaching assistant at a local college, and Lawrence's girlfriend Ellie (Rachel Clift). One of Bujalski's great strengths is coaxing great naturalistic performances out of his actors, many of whom are non-professional. Rice, who is a musician in real life, is great as a somewhat disheveled fellow who looks as though he came straight from a British pop group, circa 1965, complete with Beatles' haircut. He is wooed by a DJ at a college radio station, but over the course of the film, he realizes he's attracted to Ellie, who also returns his affection. But they both realize the impossibility of the situation, and handle it in an adult fashion that is refreshing.

Bujalski's dialogue is witty and charming. The main plot doesn't kick into gear until the last third of the film, so until then it's just enjoyable being around these characters. I liked a scene in which a very drunk Rice turns up at the dying moments of a party, where only three girls are left, all of whom are wearing wigs. He's very drunk, and allow them to talk him into putting on a wig, getting made-up, and then finally putting on a dress. There's also a funny moment when Bujalski is learning how to bake, and wonders whether doubling up regular sugar will compensate for a lack of brown sugar. Rice's double-take is hilarious.

The story also includes some nice moments about what it's like to be a struggling indie rocker, looking for musicians, trying to get gigs, kissing up to music executives. It helps that the songs we hear Rice play are actually pretty good.

Mutual Appreciation was shot in grainy black and white, and every penny of the production costs are on screen. It would be interesting to see what Bujalski could with a higher budget, but he's doing just fine on a shoestring.