Becks
Review by Paul Preston
Welcome to Today I Watched…, a series of posts documenting my new challenge – watch a movie a day for the rest of my life. Keep coming back to TheMovieGuys.net to find out what I watch each day…and get my take on it.
When I see a movie that’s a new release in theaters or on demand, I’ll give it a proper review in the “Reviews” or “Home Viewing”, otherwise, I’ll write about it here.
July 8, 2017 – Wonder Woman – read the review of the biggest superhero movie of the summer in the REVIEWS category of TheMovieGuys.net.
July 9, 2017 – Becks
The romantic comedy is dead. Seriously, they just don’t make them. Last year only saw a handful and 2017 has only produced ONE so far in The Big Sick. Even with straight-to-home-viewing titles, where you’d think there’d be less pressure to perform, films like The Rewrite only come around once in a while.
So where does the charming and often hilarious Becks fit in? It’s a movie I saw at Outfest, the story of a female singer/songwriter whose relationship with her girlfriend in L.A. goes south, so she heads home to the St. Louis area to start fresh. There are genuinely funny performances, hilarious situations and deeply-felt emotions. What there isn’t is a distributor or any information online to share with you as to where you can go to see it or even TRACK it! The film has an IMDB page, but no website or Facebook or Twitter page. I’m going to go hope it’s still on the festival circuit and you’ll hear about it as it goes, but it’s more fun to believe that the MAN is minimizing the impact of the rom com by keeping it down. RESIST!
Tony winner for the recent remount of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Lena Hall plays lead character Rebecca (“Becks”). It’s good to see another Broadway vet translate well to screen acting after enjoying Norbert Leo Butz and Katie Finneran on three seasons of Bloodline. Upon returning to St. Louis, Becks goes right to a bar to re-connect with an old friend (Dan Fogler of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them in a totally winning role) and they get along famously. Soon we realize he’s the last man she dated before she realized her greater affection for women. That’s a complicated relationship that yields a lot of laughs, but every relationship in Becks’ life is complicated. Her mother (a great-to-see Christine Lahti) is a devout religious woman (yet an ex-nun!) who tries, occasionally, to understand her daughter’s lifestyle, her high school tormenter is still kicking around being douchey, and his wife (Mena Suvari) is one of those longing housewives who takes guitar lessons from Becks and they form an attraction.
Becks makes me excited about two things. There’s a relationship drama with love and laughter in it! That alone is rare. And the fact that it took a lesbian love story to bring it! Honestly, there’s a backstage kiss in this movie between Hall and Suvari that is so passionate, so honest, if you’re not moved by it, I don’t know what the hell will move you. Plus, there’s wacky comedy with sex toys! Seriously, something for everyone. Not to mention damn decent songs by Alyssa Robbins, whose life is the basis for this material.
You will like Becks. It’s impossible not to. And when you watch the film, you’ll see that she really needs love. Be there for her, OK?
Directed by: Daniel Powell & Elizabeth Rohrbaugh
Release Date: ???
Run Time: 90 Minutes
Country: USA
Distributor: Irony Point
