SUNDANCE DOESN’T NORMALLY DO ROM-COMS…

Rom-coms are not the usual genre you see pop up at the Sundance Film Festival and its definitely not my go-to genre, either. But, I was drawn to Chasing Summer by the fact that it was written by and starred Iliza Shlesinger. I became familiar with the wild stand-up comic from her Netflix specials and actually had a chance to see her live. I’ve always thought she would be a wonderful actress, but besides supporting roles in other Netflix original movies… she’s never had the chance to really show her chops in a leading role. Until now.

Shlesinger stars as Jamie, a disaster relief worker who is constantly travelling around the world helping others. But, when her boyfriend breaks up with her, she ends up having to move back home with her parents. Jamie realizes that there are a ton of skeletons in her closet that she has been running away from since high school. And now, being back home, she is forced to face them head on.

CHASING SUMMER IS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR…

After a couple of really dreadful Sundance movies, I was starting to think that this year’s festival was a complete bust. But, here comes Chasing Summer to mend some of those wounds. This is a very funny, very sexy rom-com that feels familiar, but also wildly different. The story is nothing new… we’ve seen it about a million other times in movies just like this. But, what makes this special is the talent involved and what they bring to the picture.

First off, I need to bring up the director… Josephine Decker, best known for her work on the Elizabeth Moss-led Shirley She’s most certainly not the first director you would have in mind to bring to life a romantic comedy, but she brings her arthouse sensibilities to Chasing Summer. This gives the film an identity and a style that is all its own. While I think Decker could have taken better advantage of her camera with some comedic timing moments, she makes up for that with how beautiful and unique the movie looks. She captures the feeling of those wild, and crazy summer days and nights from yesteryear to such a tee.

SHLESINGER ABSOLUTELY KILLS IT IN THE LEAD ROLE… AND THE CAST HAVE GREAT CHEMISTRY

And then there’s Miss Shlesinger, who tones down her insane on-stage persona, to give a more introspective, yet still very funny performance. It also helps that she has fantastic chemistry with everyone in the cast from Mr. Smallville himself Tom Welling, to her love interest played by Garrett Wareing, her mom played by the legendary Megan Mullaly and even her sister, played by Longmire’s Cassidy Freeman. The cast all play off of Shlesinger so well, it really feels like they all have a past with her and truly authentic relationships.

Lastly, what I will say is that I think Shlesinger did an admirable job with her screenplay. It’s by no means perfect. I think some of the comedy falls flat, some lines are unbearably awkward and I also don’t think she takes the movie far enough, like she’s too nervous to make too big of a swing. I think she should have just gone for it. But, I think her cast of characters are charming, she provides some great twists and turns, and she is able to perfectly capture that feeling of high school nostalgia, but through the lens of an adult in their late 30’s who hasn’t quite been able to figure it all out yet.

I had a blast with Iliza Shlesinger’s Chasing Summer and I think it should be an easy sell, as far as acquisitions go. I mean, Netflix has been in the Shlesinger game for years now, so I’m shocked they haven’t already picked it up for a pretty penny. This is a highly digestible comedy that mainstream audiences are going to love, but it also provides a little something deeper (and steamier) than most films like it.

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