For a Good Time Call...
by Rebecca Hillary
Starring Ari Graynor, Lauren Miller, Justin Long and Nia Vardalos. Written by Katie Naylon and Lauren Miller. Directed by Jamie Travis. Produced by Ursula Camack, Sam Childs, Angela Demo, Ari Graynor, Jenny Hinkey, Josh Kesselman, Barbara McCarthy, Dan Miller, Lauren Miller, Jack Nasser, Katie Anne Naylon, Nick Theodorakis and Jen Weinbaum.
This is the year we can all expect a string of boundary-pushing female-oriented comedies, spiraling off the success of the well accepted Bridesmaids, and if all them are going to be sweet gems like For A Good Time, Call..., I'm okay with it. Yes, a movie about phone sex sounds like it's probably on some higher level of raunch than anything you'd care to sit through, but it's really pretty innocent, reeling us in with the phone sex for comedy's sake and charming us with its surprisingly insightful themes. What the movie's actually about is female friendship and looking beyond the superficial. It's also very careful with the touchy subject of sex, and unlike other movies, treats it very seriously.
While the comedy starts off a little bit shaky and awkward, the end picks up the slack after we actually get to know and love these characters. The unexpected friendship that forms between Katie (Graynor) and Lauren (Miller) feels genuine and doesn't magically happen overnight. When Lauren's boyfriend breaks up with her, she's got to find a place to stay, quick. Thankfully, her good friend Jesse (Long) takes care of it for her and tricks her into staying with her college enemy, Katie, who's in need of a roomate. Off to a rough start at first, a balanced friendship forms between conservative Lauren and obnoxious outspoken Katie, and results in a thriving phone sex business that makes for some ridiculous situations and conversations (hilarious cameos are made by Seth Rogen and Kevin Smith).
The acting is ultimately what was going to make or break this movie – and is what sets is apart, though, as Graynor proves worthy of more roles as the lead, rather than the best friend as she's previously been cast. With nuance and control, she makes Katie an irritatingly outgoing girl with a loud mouth, a character we eventually fall in love with and ultimately what carries the movie, balancing comedy with real emotion. Side performances from a flamboyantly judgemental Long and an eccentric Nia Vardalos give For A Good Time, Call...the punch it needs, and takes it from being a chick flick to one that's accessible to everyone.
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