Standing Up, Falling Down

Matt Ratner's 2020 film brings two failures together. Scott, who tried stand-up in Los Angeles and could not make it work, moves back into his family's house on Long Island. There he meets Marty, a charismatic dermatologist who has wrecked his life with drink. An unlikely friendship forms and each becomes the means by which the other faces his own mistakes. The film does not turn the generational gap into a mentorship; Marty's advice has mostly not worked in his own life and he knows it. Billy Crystal's comic timing and Ben Schwartz's restless energy are the main dynamic. The scale is small, the pace slow and the dramatic peaks limited. Who it's for: viewers who like quiet relationship comedy and character-led American independents. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a busy plot and sharp humour; the film stays in a light, familiar place.