The one that wasn’t in the wheelchair, because that’s kind of awkward.
Is Merill the “lawyer” friend who’s banging the one in the wheelchair? I found it extremely annoying at how long it took him to formulate a complete coherent sentence. Felt like 90% of his screen time consisted of him fumbling around with what to say next although the line he dropped about kicking ass and taking names on his way to the BAR exam was hilarious. I really didn’t buy his associate with either of those characters especially when the other relationships in the film had more of a flow to them (especially the sisters).
Yup, that’s him. Well, I actually did not find him or his line delivery annoying. He is a lawyer! Lawyers are fiends, absorbed in every word and sentence before delivering one! He was a good contrast to the other characters, me thinks.
Yeah, the line he dropped and the response he got from the guy just before the BAR exam were hilarious! I also found his response to Daniel’s death (Lauren’s high school BF) amusing. I think his association with the other two characters developed strictly with regards to solving the legal puzzle. If not for the legal puzzle, he would only have been interested in banging Jeannie, I guess, with no emotional attachment. As he started helping Jeannie out, things started working out pretty good between them and by the end he was kinda into her, but they were not officially dating.
I did not like the ending of the movie on first viewing, because it left me so ambivalent about my emotions towards the film (and the film did not even feel like an art masterpiece, you know what I mean, where you KNOW you have got to see the film a second time around to enjoy it more). Thankfully, I got around to viewing it a second time. Second viewing helped a lot.
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Jumping right to the point:
People tell me that Amanda is mean. Come on. Okay, she has her flaws, but don’t you think Jeannie also comes out as a pushy boss? Well, a slightly pushy boss. I mean, she is a cool person in her personal life, but she comes out like the boss that you have worked for who is not mean, per se, but you get a vibe that is not so good either, didn’t you think? I think Bujalski should have given a fair amount of exposure to the character of Amanda. I think Amanda is fairly under-exposed in this film. Not fair. I root for you, Amanda, for the lawsuit.
psst:
1) i think Alex Karpovsky (Merrill) spread so much of energy out of his acting that the film lit up when he came into view and basically compensated for the various “flaws” of others. (i think flaw is not the appropriate word. it’s just that the others lacked some luster or spark, if you know what I mean.)
2) Also, I dig Lauren! I liked the part where she runs out of the apartment after the breakup. Sense of relief written all over! A moment of happiness in film history. Did i just say “film history”? the summer heat is getting to me.