An improvise-y flick about 20 somethings looking fer love in Chicago? Oh alright. If you like listening to dialogue full of “ums” and “you know”s and “it’s like”s and don’t much care that the main character is a brat.
Certain scenes were charming such as the one of the appreciation of the crazy guy on the sidewalk and the naked trumpet playing duet in the bath tub. But that’s only 2 scenes,dude. Usually I don’t want to write about plot for movies I really liked but I didn’t really like this one so here goes.
A Very Brief Synopsis
Hannah Takes the Stairs is the story about a woman detaching from a man who has nothing but time for her and going for a dude who has no time to spare her.
A Longwinded Synopsis
The film opens with Hannah in the shower with her mans who is soon jettisoned in favor of the smart but hard on the eyes Paul,the hotshot of the production office wrangling a deal for a book option to his…blog!
The plot is loosely constructed to say the least. In the opening scenes we see Hannah getting ready for the first day of her internship and beginning to loathe her suddenly unemployed by choice boyfriend. The loathing bit is obvious, the working bit is not. The only reason I knew Hannah was supposed to be a new intern at a production office is because I read the back of the DVD cover.
Feeling neglected by Paul, Hannah rapidly sets her beady (Ok, her eyes aren’t beady) on Paul’s best friend and co-worker Matt who has more time to pay rapt attention to her than Paul (he’s just like,so busy with his agent like,you know?). And a better scene soon follows when Hannah learns that Matt is a complex dude with problems and is on about 3 different kinds of anti-depressants so maybe she ought not to toy with his fragile soul.
Looking at Greta Gerwig (Hannah) who is tall, slim and blonde with a hip hairstyle and no prob with nudity is not at all hard to do. If only the actress were given actual lines to speak instead of her own improvised and inarticulate mumblings. I might not have come away with the impression that I just watched a movie starring an American Apparel model.
I suppose I have difficulty with the notion that women don’t care what a guy looks like because his personality is what is attracting her- and therefore we are supposed to believe the non dashing Paul could be her next boyfriend despite that fact that the guy she just ditched was actually handsome. I kept expecting her to flinch when he groped her. But no, Hannah courts and ensnares Paul on purpose. Am I that shallow? Maybe, but then why did Hannah have to be a knockout amongst shlubby moes?
Andrew Bujalski, Paul, directed Funny Ha Ha (another movie about an unattractive guy and a pretty girl).
One review I read stated this was a film about young people looking for the next person to crush out on. Yet Hannah’s roommate and good pal Rocco doesn’t spend any time “crushing out”, she spends her time cooped up in their apt. and avoiding foolishness.
Of Possible Interest
You can see cast and crew pictures and a theatrical trailer atHannah Takes the Stairs and read “thanks for the add” comments on their Myspace page