Saturday Special: Mr. Roosevelt [Film]

“In her feature directorial debut, Noël Wells portrays Emily, a talented but hard-to-classify comedic performer who left behind her home and boyfriend to pursue career opportunities in L.A. When a loved one falls ill, Emily rushes back to Austin where she’s forced to stay with her ex-boyfriend (Nick Thune) and his new-and-improved girlfriend (Britt Lower), a totally together woman with a five-year plan. Though Emily is the same, everything else is different: her house has been smartly redecorated, her rocker boyfriend is training to be a real estate agent, and her old haunts show serious signs of gentrification. Holed up in her own guest room, Emily–who has no idea what she’ll be doing five days from now, let alone five years–is forced to question everyone’s values: are they sell-outs or have they just figured out what makes them happy? And is she following her dreams or is she just a self-absorbed loser?” – Big Time PR

I feel compelled to start this out by saying that Mr. Roosevelt was one of my most anticipated films of the year. One platform that I tend to learn about some of the amazing artists and happenings in the world of film and television actually comes from a podcast. A little movie trivia game show podcast known as Doug Loves Movies, hosted by none other than legendary comedian Doug Benson (who has a nice, brief cameo in this film as well!). Throughout 2017, I heard episodes either featuring Noël Wells in support of Mr. Roosevelt, or several episodes in which the film was mentioned without her even being present. Needless to say, I was dying to see it. And when the opportunity presented itself to finally check it out, I had to jump on it. And might I dare say, I was definitely not let down. Mr. Roosevelt is one of the finest films of 2017, and one of the best indie projects of the last ten years.

Depending on where you live, work, and/or breath, it is likely that you know somebody like Noël Wells’s character Emily. At her heart, she is a very wonderful person, with a big heart and a tremendous talent. But if the world of adulthood has taught most of us anything, it is that none of that shit matters in the real world. The real world can be a very disturbing place where good things don’t always come to good people. And it is within this knowledge that we may find a turn with ourselves, and proverbially walk the line between kind and self-obsessed. And I feel like this is exactly where our heroine of Mr. Roosevelt is at in her life. She moved away from the fun-loving and stereotypically hip area of Austin, Texas to pursue her dream as a comedian(?), or something of that nature, to America’s dirty playground known as Los Angeles. And along this journey, she broke some hearts and left a dear friend, Mr. Roosevelt, behind who would unexpectedly perish while she was away. Mr. Roosevelt is a cat, by the way. But for some of us, that matters not.

At its core, Mr. Roosevelt is a film that explores the acceptance of one’s self whilst trying to find their place in the world. Even the most grounded of characters in this film seem to have demons hiding within themselves. You will either sympathize with Celeste (brilliantly portrayed by Britt Lower) or you are going to hate her right off the bat, which you will likely find to be a completely unreasonable emotion. One of my favorite characters of the film, Jen (Daniella Pineda), comes off as a character who is perfectly grounded in insanity, but is as emotionally complex as the rest of them. But, she seems to take this world in strides.

In the end, Mr. Roosevelt is a beautiful tale of love, loss, confusion, and attempting to find one’s self (whatever the hell that means?) in the modern world. Noël Wells has officially made a debut in the world of film that is an absolute hit, and I am so excited to see what the future holds for this brilliant artist. If this film is an indication of everything she is capable, it is extremely likely that we have a new strong female working behind the camera as well as in front of it, which is something we desperately need right now. This is a film that proves that women, while only making up less than 6% of world film behind the screen, are not only capable of doing great work, but are exceptional at it in most cases. And I truly believe that Mr. Roosevelt is nothing short of direct evidence to this case. You’re going to love it. I guarantee it.

Mr. Roosevelt is currently enjoying a run at the Arena CineLounge in Los Angeles, November 17th – 23rd. 

The film will also have its NYC premiere at the legendary Landmark Theatre’s Sunshine Cinema, November 22nd – 28th. 

Stay tuned for further announcements of the films release across digital platforms and in physical form as well. And check out the lovely trailer for Mr. Roosevelt, right here: