“Lola Versus” is presented as a fresh and original comedy about the complexities of life love and the challenges we face. Unfortunately the truth is that the film is neither fresh nor original and the main challenge I faced was sitting through the entirety of it.
Greta Gerwig stars as Lola, a woman nearing 30 with plans of marriage and happily ever after. Unfortunately, after months of wedding plans her fiancé (Joel Kinneman) has cold feet and decides to call the whole thing off. This sends Lola into a whirlwind of self-discovery, with the help of her friends Henry (Hamish Linklater) and Alice (Zoe Lister-Jones).
I was rather looking forward to watching this film as I do enjoy a good romantic comedy, and often seeing new talent filling the roles as opposed to big stars offers a nice treat. “Lola Versus” did not fit the bill, however. With the exception of Gerwig, whose performance was very strong, charming and enjoyable, the rest of the cast delivered relatively flat line reads. This was especially evident when viewed against Gerwig’s acting.
The script, by director Daryl Wein and actress Zoe Lister-Jones, did not do much to heighten the experience. The characters as written were more caricatures and the situations they found themselves in were trite and formulaic. Again… nothing fresh or original here. I’m even willing to accept the formulaic part, but the actors were just not able to sell it.
The Blu-ray release does offer a nice, clean transfer video wise. And the audio was well mixed and the dialogue always easy to hear. The biggest surprise was the seemingly large amount of special features offered, but before you get too excited… quantity does not mean quality. There are quite a few deleted scenes, but none offer anything more than additional blandness. You’ll also find outtakes, but most aren’t that amusing. Additionally, the handful of featurettes give you some interviews and insights into the film, where again you get to hear that it was ‘fresh and original.’ Finally, there is a commentary that very quickly fizzles out.
I went into “Lola Versus” hoping for a heartwarming romantic comedy, but was ultimately left with just a bland taste in my mouth.
Directed by: Daryl Wein
Starring: Greta Gerwig, Joel Kinnaman, Zoe Lister-Jones
Extras: Deleted Scenes/Alternate Ending; Outtakes; Fox Movie Channel presents In Character with Greta Gerwig; Fox Movie Channel presents World Premiere; The Filmmakers; Greta Gerwig: Leading Lady; Audio Commentary by Director/Co-Writer Daryl Wein and Actress/Co-Writer Zoe Lister-Jones; Theatrical Trailer
Studio: Fox Searchlight
Release Date: 9/11/2012
MPAA Rating: R
