Molli (Mamet) and Max’s (Athari) meet-cute is about as quirky as they get: She swerves to keep away from a chaotic jumble of area particles whereas out searching magic crystals in her flying automotive, he crash-lands on her windshield in an old style astronaut go well with, he guilts her into taking him into the town for a robotic battle, they preserve hanging out afterwards. However the romantic pressure between them by no means results in something, and shortly bigger issues—the chip on his shoulder, her quest for religious enlightenment—separate them, at the least briefly.
The movie is split into chapters, within the type of its inspiration; it’s set over the course of 12 years, additionally in imitation of Rob Reiner and Nora Ephron’s rom-com basic. (The interstitial interviews are lacking right here.) Their path to realization, self- and in any other case, is winding and stuffed with diversions: Acquainted comedic actors like Aparna Nancherla, Matteo Lane, and Arturo Castro pop out and in of the narrative, as do fantastical areas which are named-dropped as casually as in the event that they had been exits on the New Jersey Turnpike. (One of many funnier jokes of this kind is the Quantum Zone, a dimension spun off from a well-liked podcast.)
It’s all both whimsically charming or annoyingly cute, relying in your temperament. The factor that retains the movie from spinning out into the environment (actually or figuratively, your selection) is the chemistry between Mamet and Athari. On the entire, Mamet provides the extra dynamic efficiency; her character’s angst feels each particular and common in a means that reads as broadly, quintessentially human. However the all-important back-and-forth is simple and unforced, making it really feel like these are literally two pals who may at some point change into lovers—if they’ll ever recover from themselves.