"A movie about cancer has no right to be as consistently amusing as 'Paddleton' — a triumph for which credit should be spread around, even if it most deservedly goes to Ray Romano. It’s far from an easy task, given that both are single men whose lives revolve around each other. It’s Romano, however, who shines most brightly in a role that’s anything but glittery. That becomes even more apparent when Michael decides to end his life via doctor-prescribed drugs. Do you want to report a spoiler, error or omission? Michael’s fatal diagnosis is revealed immediately, and the action then focuses on the pair’s efforts to cope with the grave news. The cancer-buddy movie Paddleton (which premieres today on Netflix) is embarrassingly bad until 20 minutes from the end, when it’s suddenly very good — quiet, tightly focused, stunning. What does the future hold for Lara Jean and Peter? Directed by Alex Lehmann. But whatever your reaction, it’s as human as theirs. All copyrighted material (movie posters, DVD covers, stills, trailers) and trademarks belong to their respective producers and/or distributors. After he's diagnosed with terminal cancer, middle-aged Michael asks his neighbor friend Andy to help him end his life before the disease does. ", "Lehmann and Duplass’ affecting screenplay never loses its sense of humor (...) 'Paddleton' is an appreciation of friendship for better or for worse (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)", "You might laugh. Instead of starting a debate about assisted suicide, this news initiates a road trip marked by a variety of absurd deadpan conversations, such as whether or not something can have too much air. A movie about cancer has no right to be as consistently amusing as “Paddleton” — a triumph for which credit should be spread around, even if it most deservedly goes to Ray Romano. ", "Moving but middling (...) It’s not heavy enough or funny enough or anywhere near as profound as the filmmakers are trying to force it to be (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)", Is the synopsis/plot summary missing? Lehmann strikes a generally stable balance between mirth and misery, with only a few minor missteps (such as an open-mic bar performance) along the way.

Sundance Film Review: ‘Paddleton’ After a terminal cancer diagnosis, a man and his best friend embark on an unusual road trip in Alex Lehmann’s amusingly low-key dramedy. Following two best friends in Michael (Mark Duplass) and Andy (Ray … Directed by: Alex Lehmann. With Christine Woods, Mark Duplass, Ray Romano, Jen Sung. Genres: Drama, Buddy, Comedy. Paddleton is a depressingly sweet mumblecore film about friendship and dealing with illness. ", "This film is admirable in its simplicity (...) When [Michael and Andy's] banter is the front and center, the film pops. Stars Mark Duplass and Ray Romano bring a dry humor to this bittersweet bromance. Check out in which streaming plataform you can see any movie / TV Series. The film eschews corny plot twists for a more laid-back portrait of its two protagonists’ sweetly content rapport, in which jokey banter helps stave off genuine emotional confessions. When his best friend Gary is suddenly snatched away, SpongeBob takes Patrick on a madcap mission far beyond Bikini Bottom to save their pink-shelled pal. In this thriller series, eight different points of view provide tantalizing clues to the perpetrator of a gruesome crime fueled by social media. ", "Thanks to two pitch-perfect performances, 'Paddleton' is bittersweet and poignant beyond words. To All The Boys: Always And Forever, Lara Jean. Paddleton is a great film and here's why I believe it deserves some recognition. Both men’s humor is an articulation of, and defense-mechanism response to, their consuming grief, particularly in the case of Andy, whose heartache manifests itself most forcefully in his decision to lock Michael’s deadly drugs away in a pink child’s safe — much to the dying man’s frustration. One of the many films to world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was Paddleton. You might just feel for them. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. While the cancer trope is very common in most drama films, they still managed to make the trope inventive and unique by introducing a depressing twist to it. Locating both pathos and comedy in a raft of small grace notes, the film seems primed to find a sizable streaming audience when, after its Sundance Film Festival premiere, it arrives exclusively on Netflix in late February. Synopsis: An unlikely bromance between two misfit neighbors becomes an unexpectedly emotional journey when one of them is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Seasonal cheer comes to a screeching halt when a cold-hearted woman tries to sell her hometown's land. After a terminal cancer diagnosis, a man and his best friend embark on an unusual road trip in Alex Lehmann’s amusingly low-key dramedy. © 2002-2020 Filmaffinity - Movieaffinity | Filmaffinity is a movie recommendation site based on the concept of Movie Soulmates. Helping to achieve that equilibrium, the reliably natural Duplass embodies Michael as a man trying his best to confront his fate with a brave face, even as the reality of his situation draws painfully nigh. After unearthing a tomb that had been untouched for 4,400 years, Egyptian archaeologists attempt to decipher the history of the extraordinary find. Even a running gag about Andy’s desire to craft the greatest motivational football halftime speech is played for modest chuckles rather than a big emotional wallop. Andy — sporting one of the worst helmet-head combovers in recent memory — is far more shaken. Well, for a film about assisted suicide. Rated the #36 best film of 2019, and #3343 in the greatest all … Original title: Paddleton. Reuniting director Alex Lehmann with his “Blue Jay” collaborator Mark Duplass (here serving as co-writer, producer and star, in the first of a four-picture deal with Netflix), “Paddleton” is almost exclusively a two-hander about Michael (Duplass) and his neighbor Andy (Romano), who lives above him in a dingy apartment complex. Please send us a. With unkempt, slightly graying hair and a ‘70s-era ‘stache, Michael takes his imminent demise in relative stride. Can music, magic and memories change her mind. ", "[Romano] flourishes in this laid-back, semi-improvisational atmosphere, and generates both genuine chemistry and a believable history with Duplass. As a bachelor whose best friend is facing his final days, Romano infuses this otherwise downcast material with regular doses of humor, all of it expertly designed to reflect the roiling emotional roller-coaster upon which he’s been thrust.

It started with an old love letter — and turned into a new romance.

Paddleton 2019 TV-MA 1h 29m Independent Movies After he's diagnosed with terminal cancer, middle-aged Michael asks his neighbor friend Andy to help him end his life before the disease does. Paddleton is a film riddled with dissatisfactions – it’s not heavy enough or funny enough or anywhere near as profound as the filmmakers are trying to force it to be. The aesthetic sometimes does the opposite, leaving much to be desired. There’s a catch, though: The pharmaceuticals are only available hours away at a remote location.

", "[It] sneaks up on you, wresting its way into your heart even while you're trying to resist its overly determined quirkiness (...) It makes you smile even while you still have a lump in your throat. An unlikely friendship between two misfit neighbors becomes an unexpectedly emotional journey when the younger man is diagnosed with terminal cancer. And yet “Paddleton” is an aggressively gentle film. From morning and evening greetings, to nights spent on the couch eating homemade pizza while watching their favorite kung-fu movie to playing a game they’ve created called paddleton — which involves batting a ball against the wall of a drive-in movie theater with a tennis racket in order to land it in a nearby barrel — they share a platonic bromance that’s comfortably low-key and foundational. Paddleton. Read Next: German Film and TV Company Leonine Secures Financing Totaling $222 Million, Beastie Boys License a Song for an Ad for First Time Ever, for Joe Biden Spot Focused on Live Music Shutdown, Jeff Bridges Announces Lymphoma Diagnosis, James Redford, Documentary Filmmaker and Son of Robert Redford, Dies at 58, Borat Tries to Eradicate Coronavirus During Jimmy Kimmel Show, Brian Wilson Disavows Trump’s Beach Boys Benefit in California (EXCLUSIVE), Jeffrey Toobin Suspended From New Yorker, Taking Leave From CNN After Allegedly Revealing Himself on Zoom Call, Apple Launches 'Apple Music TV,' a 24-Hour Music Video Livestream, ‘The Vow’: What Happened to Keith Raniere, Allison Mack and Other Key Figures, Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ Album and ‘Dreams’ Single Both Reenter the Top 10, 43 Years Later, Chadwick Boseman Honored by ‘Ma Rainey’ Co-Star Viola Davis, Trump Calls Debate Moderator Kristen Welker a ‘Radical Left Democrat’, Jeremy Strong in Talks for Bradley Cooper's Leonard Bernstein Biopic for Netflix, Brian Wilson Disavows Trump’s Beach Boys Benefit in California (EXCLUSIVE), ‘The Vow’: What Happened to Keith Raniere, Allison Mack and Other Key Figures, ‘Beloved’ Author Toni Morrison’s Lower Manhattan Loft Comes to Market, Lucinda Williams, Lawrence Rothman Release New Song ‘Decent Man’, How Designers Are Reimagining Airplane Interiors to Look and Feel Larger, Gaming Streaming Network VENN Raises $26 Million With Eyes On Local TV, 55+ Great Holiday Gifts for Mom that Will Put Her in the Christmas Spirit. Wracked with a soul-deep sickness he can barely mask beneath attempts at cheerfulness, his Andy is a schlub struggling to come to grips with the not only the departure of his only friend but also the destruction of the status quo that keeps his life bearable. (Andy answers in the affirmative: “How about the Hindenburg?”) Similarly droll conflicts arise, such as a credit card mishap at the drug store, whose pharmacist David (Kadeem Hardison) rubs Andy the wrong way; and a late-night hot tub session with a woman (Dendrie Taylor) who seems capable of bringing Andy out of his shell and teaching him to grapple with loss. In Romano’s hands, Andy is an ideal life partner, someone with whom to both laugh and cry — and, ultimately, to count on until the end.

© Copyright 2020 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. Lehmann’s direction is attentive and considerate, and his and Duplass’ insightful script goes light on contrivances. Starring: Ray Romano, Mark Duplass. You might wince. Paddleton is a film directed by Alex Lehmann with Ray Romano, Mark Duplass, Ravi Patel, Christine Woods, .... Year: 2019. Review: Mark Duplass and Ray Romano star in the comic-tragic bromance ‘Paddleton’ Mark Duplass, left, and Ray Romano in the movie “Paddleton.” (Patrick Wymore / Netflix)