Paramount Plus Summary:
A woman struggles to accept the death of her fiancé and the secrets he kept from her as she rebuilds her life.
FYA Summary:
Gray didn’t think she’d be planning her fiancé Grady’s funeral instead of their wedding, but a deadly accident on his bachelor trip altered the entire course of her life. No longer able to afford the place they were going to live in together, Gray moves in with Grady’s friends and tries to pick up the pieces of her life. That proves more difficult than she expected when Fritz, Grady’s oldest and messiest friend from LA, refuses to go home after the funeral, and instead hangs around confusing and bothering her in a way that only works in a romance.
When the reason for Fritz’s delay is revealed, Gray must re-examine everything she thought she knew about her past relationships and what she wants from her life.
Familiar Faces:
Timothy Olyphant as Fritz and Jennifer Garner as Gray
I adore Jennifer Garner, and she’s really the perfect person to play doe-eyed, slightly naive Gray, who seems to have just kind of existed in her own life until these recent circumstances force her to become honest with who she is. She and Timothy Olyphant have excellent chemistry, even if his hair in this movie is sometimes questionable, just like Fritz’s character.
Kevin Smith as Sam and Sam Jaegar as Dennis
I don’t really know many Kevin Smith movies, and I kinda feel like he’s mostly playing a variant of himself here, but Sam is quite endearing as he tries to support all his friends with their issues, seemingly letting them all live with him for very little rent. I totally forgot Sam Jaegar was in this—it’s pre-Parenthood—and his character, Dennis, is kind of a Nice Guy friend, so at least he is continuing his personal trend of playing punchable characters.
Juliette Lewis as Maureen
Lewis is perfect in her role too, as the ditzy but well-meaning Maureen, floundering with her own life changes.
Couch-Sharing Capability: Rainy Day Cozy
This kind of movie doesn’t need to be shared—in fact, I think it’s best saved for when it’s late at night, or for a rainy day when you don’t particularly feel like getting off the couch and you’re in a weird headspace. You need something that isn’t going to make you laugh ’til your abs hurt or cry ’til you get a headache, but leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling nonetheless.
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Chamomile Tea
The movie is set in Boulder, Colorado, and Kevin Smith’s character works at Celestial Seasonings Tea, whose headquarters are actually located there. He writes the little facts and idioms on the boxes and often quotes his own tea box philosophies to the other characters, which is quite amusing. So in the spirit of that, please partake in whatever tea you enjoy, and if you happen to add a splash of something else to it, I won’t tell.
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: Unexpectedly Charming
It’s been years since I watched this movie, and I’d forgotten how quirky and earnest it was. It was filmed on location in Colorado, and I think that lends some charm and lived-in “realness” to the look and feel of the movie. The writer and director, Susannah Grant, also wrote Erin Brockovich and Ever After, and I love both those movies and can totally see that influence in the way this story was written and shot. The characters are flawed and by no means perfect, but they’re all trying to be there for each other. There’s a certain level of heart and sincerity that permeates through the script; the found family trope is one of my favorites, so I couldn’t help but fall in love with them all. This may not be for everyone, but I was charmed!
