Mutual Appreciation

Last updated
Mutual Appreciation
Mutual appreciation.jpg
Promotional poster
Directed by Andrew Bujalski
Written byAndrew Bujalski
Produced by Ethan Vogt
Morgan Faust
Dia Sokol
Starring Justin Rice
Rachel Clift
Seung-Min Lee
Andrew Bujalski
Cinematography Matthias Grunsky
Edited byAndrew Bujalski
Music by Justin Rice
Kevin Micka
Bishop Allen
Omzo
Matt & Mossy
The Common Cold
Brandon Patton
Distributed byGoodbye Cruel Releasing
Release date
Running time
110 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Mutual Appreciation is a 2005 independent film by Andrew Bujalski who previously directed Funny Ha Ha (2002). The script is primarily dialogue between a group of young people as they try to determine where they fit in the world. It is considered part of the mumblecore movement.

Contents

Plot

The principal characters are Lawrence, Ellie, Alan and Sara. Lawrence, a teaching assistant, and Ellie have been together for about a year. Lawrence loves Ellie, and she outwardly reciprocates while masking her doubts about their relationship. Sara is a radio disc jockey. She meets Alan, a former member of a band called The Bumblebees, at the radio station and invites him to her apartment.

Cast

Production

Shot in black-and-white, the film stars Justin Rice of the indie rock band Bishop Allen and features music from the band's debut album Charm School . Andrew Bujalski's previous film Funny Ha Ha starred Christian Rudder, also of Bishop Allen.

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 87% based on 54 reviews, and an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Director Bujalski continues to give cinematic voice to awkward, literate twentysomethings with noteworthy smarts and tenderness." [1] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Harvard Man</i> 2001 film by James Toback

Harvard Man is a 2001 American crime comedy-drama thriller film written and directed by James Toback, and starring Adrian Grenier, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Joey Lauren Adams, Rebecca Gayheart, Ray Allen, and Eric Stoltz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop Allen</span>

Bishop Allen is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, United States. The band's core members are Justin Rice and Christian Rudder, who are supported both on stage and in the studio by a rotating cast of musical collaborators. The band was formed in 2003 and grew out of Rice and Rudder's friendship; it takes its name from Bishop Allen Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where the two lived together after attending Harvard University.

<i>National Lampoons Gold Diggers</i> 2003 American film

National Lampoon's Gold Diggers is a 2003 American black comedy film written and directed by Gary Preisler. It features two friends who marry two elderly sisters so they can inherit their fortunes when they die.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Bujalski</span> American film director

Andrew Bujalski is an American film director, screenwriter and actor, who has been called the "godfather of mumblecore."

<i>Strangers with Candy</i> (film) 2005 American film

Strangers with Candy is a 2005 American comedy film directed by Paul Dinello, written by Dinello, Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris, and Mitch Rouse, and serves as a prequel to their 1999–2000 Comedy Central television series of the same name. Colbert co-produced the film alongside executive producer David Letterman. The film grossed $2.3 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Rudder</span> American entrepreneur

Christian Rudder is an American entrepreneur, writer, and musician.

Kate Dollenmayer is an American actor and film archivist. She made her debut as the star of Andrew Bujalski's 2002 film Funny Ha Ha. She subsequently appeared in Bujalski's next film Mutual Appreciation in 2005.

<i>Funny Ha Ha</i> 2002 American film

Funny Ha Ha is a 2002 American film written and directed by Andrew Bujalski. It has been described as the first mumblecore film. The film was shot on 16 mm film on a very low budget. It deals with the lives of people in their twenties as they try to come to terms with life after college and confront the responsibilities of adulthood, if only to put them off for as long as possible.

<i>What Would Jesus Buy?</i> 2007 American film

What Would Jesus Buy? is a 2007 documentary film produced by Morgan Spurlock and directed by Rob VanAlkemade. The title is a take-off on the phrase, "what would Jesus do?". The film debuted on the festival circuit on March 11, 2007, at the South By Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas. It went into general U.S. release on November 16, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Rice</span> American musician and actor

Justin Rice is an American musician and actor.

<i>Love</i> (TV series) American romantic comedy-drama streaming television series

Love is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Judd Apatow, Lesley Arfin, and Paul Rust. The series stars Rust, Gillian Jacobs, Mike Mitchell, and Claudia O'Doherty. Netflix originally ordered two seasons of the show. The first 10-episode season was made available on February 19, 2016, and a 12-episode second season premiered on March 10, 2017. Netflix renewed the series for a third season one month prior to the second-season premiere. On December 15, 2017, Netflix announced that the third season would be its last. Season 3 premiered on March 9, 2018.

Diffusion Pictures is a distributor of feature films in the United Kingdom. Formed in late 2006, its first two releases, Funny Ha Ha and Mutual Appreciation, were both from American director Andrew Bujalski. Diffusion then released Reprise by Norwegian director, Joachim Trier and Lars von Trier's film, The Boss of It All.

Mumblecore is a subgenre of independent film characterized by naturalistic acting and dialogue, low budgets, an emphasis on dialogue over plot, and a focus on the personal relationships of young adults. Filmmakers associated with the genre include Andrew Bujalski, Lynn Shelton, the Duplass brothers Mark and Jay, Greta Gerwig, Aaron Katz, Joe Swanberg, and Ry Russo-Young. In many cases, though, these directors reject the term. The genre is a mostly American phenomenon. The related term mumblegore has been used for films mixing the mumblecore and horror genres.

<i>Company Man</i> (film) 2000 French film

Company Man is a 2000 comedy film written and directed by Peter Askin and Douglas McGrath. The film stars McGrath, Sigourney Weaver, John Turturro, Ryan Phillippe, Alan Cumming, Anthony LaPaglia, Woody Allen, and Denis Leary as "Officer Fry". Bill Murray had a cameo appearance in the film that was cut before the film's release.

<i>Beeswax</i> (film) 2009 film by Andrew Bujalski

Beeswax is a 2009 American mumblecore film written and directed by Andrew Bujalski. The film examines a few days in the life of twins, played by real-life sisters Tilly and Maggie Hatcher.

<i>The Big Wedding</i> 2013 American romantic comedy directed by Justin Zackham

The Big Wedding is a 2013 American comedy film written and directed by Justin Zackham. It is an American remake of the original 2006 Swiss-French film Mon frère se marie, written by Jean-Stéphane Bron and Karine Sudan.

<i>Lucky Them</i> 2013 film

Lucky Them is a 2013 American comedy-drama film directed by Megan Griffiths. It was screened in the Special Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, and in a June 2014 screening at the Greenwich International Film Festival in producer Emily Wachtel's native Stamford, Connecticut. The film received generally positive reviews from critics. The film was released theatrically on May 30, 2014, by IFC Films. It was released on DVD on September 30, 2014 and on Blu-ray on July 3, 2015.

Dia Sokol Savage is an American film and television producer, director and writer. She is best known as the executive producer of MTV's hit series 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom franchise and as a producer on Andrew Bujalski's films Mutual Appreciation and Beeswax. She currently runs 11th Street Productions with her producing partner Morgan J. Freeman.

<i>Dont Worry Baby</i> (film) 2015 American film

Don't Worry Baby is a 2015 American comedy drama film written and directed by Julian Branciforte. The film stars John Magaro, Christopher McDonald and Dreama Walker.

<i>Sneakerheads</i> (TV series) 2020 American comedy web television series

Sneakerheads is an American comedy television series created by Jay Longino that premiered on Netflix on September 25, 2020.

References

  1. "Mutual Appreciation (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  2. "Mutual Appreciation Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved March 20, 2018.