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For A Good Time, Call…

Reviews
by Leonard Maltin
August 31, 2012 1:00 AM
1 Comment
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Photo by Ryder Sloane - Courtesy of Focus Features
If you’ve seen the previews for this film, you already know what it’s about. I had the advantage of not knowing anything when I saw it a few weeks ago, which made it all the more enjoyable. What seems to be a raunchy movie (at least from its language) turns out to be a smart, saucy girl-powered story about friendship, written by one of its stars, Lauren Anne Miller, and Katie Anne Naylon. It also provides Miller and her costar, the underrated Ari Graynor, with a great vehicle.

The premise is simple: two New Yorkers who have a bad memory of a college encounter ten years ago are forced to share an apartment, for strictly economic reasons. Miller has her sights set on a publishing career and can’t believe that Graynor makes spending money by talking on a phone-sex line. But when her job prospects tank, she uses her smarts to help Graynor expand her business and eventually becomes her partner.

Photo by Ryder Sloane - Courtesy of Focus Features
The sheer likability of the leading characters carries this movie along, and the script takes some clever and unexpected turns under the assured direction of Jamie Travis, who is making his feature debut. For a movie that, on the surface, would seem to be about sex, For a Good Time, Call… is surprisingly sweet, painting an all-too-rare portrait of two young women in the process of building a solid friendship.

Justin Long and Mark Webber contribute lively performances as the men (gay and straight, respectively), in the women’s lives. But it’s the female stars who really shine in this likable comedy—a sheep in R-rated wolf’s clothing. 

Reviews
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More: Film Reviews, For A Good Time, Call..., Lauren Anne Miller, Ari Graynor, Justin Long, Mark Webber, Nia Vardalos, Mimi Rogers, Jamie Travis

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1 Comment

  • CMF | September 5, 2012 4:59 PMReply

    Here's an interview of the cast and crew of For A Good Time, Call. Courtesy from Campus Movie Fest. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzqROiyPKfo&feature=plcp

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