Lola Versus

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Lola Versus
Lola Versus poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Daryl Wein
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJakob Ihre
Edited by
Music by Fall On Your Sword
Production
company
Groundswell Productions
Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release dates
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$455,754 [1]

Lola Versus is a 2012 American romantic comedy film directed by Daryl Wein, who co-wrote the screenplay with his partner Zoe Lister-Jones. [2] [3] [4] The film stars Greta Gerwig, Joel Kinnaman, Lister-Jones, Bill Pullman and Debra Winger.

Contents

Plot

On her 29th birthday, Ph.D. student Lola accepts a marriage proposal from her longtime artist boyfriend, Luke, and wedding preparations commence. However, weeks before the wedding, Luke decides to end the engagement, devastating Lola.

In an attempt to encourage Lola to date other men, her best friend Alice takes her to a nightclub. There, the thought of having one-night stands with strangers sends Lola into a panic attack. Shortly thereafter, Lola visits Henry, a mutual friend of hers and Luke's, spending the night at his place.

One day, a man named Nick flirts with Lola outside a fish market. Though she is not ready to start dating again, she agrees to give him her phone number. On her way to a meeting at her university, Lola is surprised by Luke, who has been second-guessing his decision to cancel the wedding, but she rebuffs him. Lola presents her doctoral dissertation on silence in 19th-century French literature and the lack thereof in modern popular culture, as her professors look on in confusion.

One night, Lola asks Henry to stay over at her place. The two share her bed and eventually kiss, until Henry stops out of respect for Luke. Despite confessing he has always had feelings for Lola, Henry proposes they take things slow. The next day, Lola meets Luke for lunch. After they have sex at Luke's apartment, Lola breaks down in tears and insists she can no longer see him, as she is still heartbroken. While Luke is in the shower, Lola sees text messages from a woman named Peggy on his phone.

Lola and Henry continue to spend time together. While watching Henry perform with his band one night, Lola runs into Luke and Peggy. Outside the venue, Luke tells Lola he has recently started a casual relationship with Peggy. Angry, Lola reminds him that he was the one that wanted time alone, before abruptly revealing she is dating Henry. Back inside, Luke, feeling betrayed, lashes out at both Lola and Henry. Later that night, an intoxicated Lola goes over to Henry's, where they have awkward sex. Afterwards, Henry asserts they do not need to define their relationship.

Lola meets Nick for a dinner date at his place. They later have sex, during which Nick behaves oddly. The next morning, Nick accompanies Lola home. Henry, who had been waiting for Lola on her doorstep, becomes upset upon seeing her with Nick. Lola attempts to apologize to Henry, saying she was unsure if their relationship was exclusive, but he angrily leaves. Lola visits Luke's apartment, where they spend time together and smoke cannabis.

At a house party thrown by Lola, Henry assures her that he is no longer upset with her, while Luke tells her that Henry will move in with him and invites her to their upcoming housewarming party. Sometime later, Lola breaks up with Nick. At the housewarming party, Alice and Henry awkwardly reveal to Lola that they have recently started dating. A hysterical Lola berates Alice for not telling her earlier. When Luke joins the conversation, Lola declares that all three of them have abandoned her. Storming off, she wanders the streets at night on a drunken bender, stealing liquor bottles and going to a strip club. The next morning, she awakens outside her apartment.

Realizing she is the only one responsible for her existential crisis, Lola decides to focus on her own self-improvement. She also completes her dissertation. Having made peace with both Alice and Henry, Lola celebrates her 30th birthday with a picnic in the park with her parents and close friends. When Luke appears, he tells Lola that their time apart has helped him realize how much he misses her, and he suggests a reconciliation. Lola kindly rejects his offer, explaining that since she spent all that time obsessing about him, she still needs to be alone for a while.

Cast

Reception

Lola Versus received mostly negative reviews. [5] [6] [7] [8] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 36% based on 83 reviews, with an average rating of 5.19/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "It's fun to see Greta Gerwig mature her acting career but Lola Versus – with its unpleasant characters and completely familiar script – does not succeed as her first major leading role." [9] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [10]

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References

  1. ↑ "Lola Versus". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  2. ↑ Gray, Emma (June 7, 2012). "'Lola Versus' Filmmakers, Zoe Lister-Jones And Daryl Wein, Rap About Romantic Comedies". HuffPost . Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  3. ↑ Amsden, David (June 13, 2012). "Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones: Partners in Life and in Movies". The New York Times . Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Daryl Wein & Zoe Lister Jones: Independent Versus Studio". Paste . Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Lola Versus Critics Sexist - Zoe Lister Jones Male Gaze". Refinery29 . Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Lola Versus review". Cinedelphia. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  7. ↑ Hopper, Jessica (June 21, 2012). "Versus Lola". The Hairpin . Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ↑ Coates, Tyler (July 6, 2012). "Let's Talk About Sexism in Movie Reviews, You Guys!". BlackBook . Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Lola Versus (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Lola Versus Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved June 21, 2020.
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