Images courtesy of KO-PR.
IN SPITE OF OURSELVES— 4 STARS
At its whimsiest, In Spite of Ourselves toasts the central romantic relationship of the movie with the serendipity that “It all started with a cinnamon roll.” While it may seem on the nose in this lede, it couldn’t be better symbolism. Take your shopping mall Cinnabon or the homemade variety your grandma used to make. A delectable cinnamon roll curls with what looks like a Fibonnaci spiral of the Golden Ratio, representing a taste of natural perfection. Though, seeping from those curves and slathered all over the top of the ideal spiral is all the gooey filling and kingly frosting of a food that is nearly impossible to eat without utensils or seven napkins. Moreover, between the yeast to rise them and the oven conditions to not burn them to a crisp, they require patience and delicate timing.
Considering all those qualities, cinnamon rolls are one of the most unhealthy, delicious, tedious, and messiest possible culinary indulgences, yet we love them for being exactly those things. Now, hop back to the parallel happenstance of love. Tell me a bunch of that doesn’t sound like a lasting romantic relationship: the unity of core perfection being covered with messy and tedious traits that evolve with timing to either affirm or destroy our personal well-being. Love sure sounds like a cinnamon roll, meaning In Spite of Ourselves—matching the name and energy of a charming 1999 duet by the late John Prine and Iris DeMent—and restauranteur and first-time writer-director Josh Loeb are on to something worth being hungry for.
Introduced by a classic Meet-Cute involving said pastry, an up-and-coming touring stand-up comedian named Archie (Jane the Virgin and Schooled TV actor Brett Dier), passing through the liberal bastion of Portland, Oregon, becomes smitten by Hannah (Titans ensemble member Conor Leslie, a bakery chef. While Archie is in town for two weeks, the two quickly fall in love in a series of beautifully shot meetings and dates where the soft and observant lenses of cinematographer Gabe Mayhan (Greater) capture every doting glance, smile of assurance, and curated bourgeoisie setting of local culture shared by the lovebirds.
LESSON #1: THE DIFFICULTY OF ROMANTIC TIMING— Mirroring that delicate baking window for the cinnamon rolls, the romantic and career-centered timing ticking by during In Spire of Ourselves is not ideal, despite the immediate and clear connection between Hannah and Archie. She’s an up-before-the-crack-of-dawn baker with a mountain of prep work before a door ever opens. He’s a night owl stage performer manicuring his set to hit marks and get noticed. Their windows for common free time are narrow. At some point, Archie has to leave and continue with his schedule of gigs along the West Coast, while Hannah takes a high-pressure new job leading the pastry team for Jake (Ethan Ingle of Crime 101), a demanding chef of a high-end restaurant.
LESSON #2: THE MESSINESS OF RELATIONSHIPS– No matter how much Archie and Hannah try to squeeze together quality time, the carried-over stress and exhaustion of work sometimes don’t make either one of them a good date or ideal hang. That’s where the messiness comes in and becomes amplified in In Spite of Ourselves. Despite the extroverted side of his profession and the old-fashioned chivalry he puts forth, Archie is not the best at opening up to people and has his focus taken away by tending to the senior care for his dementia-afflicted father (professional movie villain and military man Glenn Morshower, in a splendid out-of-nowhere supporting performance). His self-consciousness and sense of duty are matched by Hannah wanting to put together enough money and credibility to start her own business and her steps on a risky long-term medical journey to restore hearing in a deaf ear.
No matter if the romantic downs outnumber the ups in In Spite of Ourselves, the magnetic appeal radiated by Brett Dier and Conor Lesie is downright flawless. Archie’s wit bubbling through his sweet and sad dynamic melds swimmingly with the patience of Hannah to find her best self and cement the inner confidence everyone else notices about her. In combining these two personalities, Loeb’s script allows the actors to play their characters’ flaws as openly as their appealing strengths. While the plot may splinter them for stretches of time or attempt to put their characters at odds, Leslie and Dier, when together, cannot help but completely lift each other to bring out their respective bests. To see that the two of them met on this film set and are now married adds another layer to the magic of what may arguably be the best on-screen romance of the year. Knowing that, a line like “I so enjoy being in this story with you” now packs a new punch.
LESSON #3: THE DRAW OF RELATABLE HONESTY— The union of Conor Leslie and Brett Dier off-screen may constitute magic, but, unlike hosts of other romantic dramas that rely on fate and unrealistic plot twists, it’s the relatable honesty of their In Spite of Ourselves characters that makes this buried treasure of an independent film special. Any grand romantic gestures of courtship or necessary apologies after mistakes fit the size of these characters, not the size of the usual movie stereotypes for this genre. When the aforementioned hurdles of messy attributes and misaligned personal paths clash, everyone expects that mix to fail. With the bared truth of those factors in play, Josh Loeb’s film shines by watching two scared people use their own measures of goodness to find commitment against their challenges and those of their partner, with equal acceptance. Rooting for that kind of success becomes as enjoyable as relishing in the cinnamon roll with them.
LOGO DESIGNED BY MEENTS ILLUSTRATED (#1435)
