Synopsis:
The Layover is a comedy film from America produced in the year 2017. This film is directed by Mr. William H. Macy, an individual who is more popularly recognized for his acting career in prominent works like ‘Fargo’ as well as ‘Shameless’. This film is one of the directorial ventures of Mr. Macy in the comedy field. The film focuses on a light-hearted rivalry between two girls who are best friends. The Layover is centered on themes of friendship as well as competition, and is a road trip comedy highlighting the unpredictability of what life has to offer when travel plans go sideways.
The film revolves around the story of two best friends residing in the city of Seattle. These women are in their late twenties, and go by the names Kate and Meg, played by Alexandra Daddario and Kate Upton respectively. Meg is more of the spontaneous and fun loving personality and works in the beauty industry. While Kate is a passionate individual who works as a high school English teacher, and as a result is deeply unhappy with her life. Both women are in a relationship, and share a very strong bond, however, are both undergoing the social and career pressures of feeling stuck.
In search of a break from their daily farm chores, Kate and Meg brainstorm ways to unwind, and are thrilled when their daydreams reveal a suitable Florida vacation. Their intended purposes are to enjoy beautiful beaches, exquisite cocktails, and to unwind. Relaxation, as it seems, is elusive. They are brought back to reality when their flight lands and they spot one of the airplanes passengers. Matt Barr. Their desired outcome becomes reality. The two women are dazed during the flight and their like each begins to covet the other.
Everything completely shatters when the flight encounters turbulence and has to land in St. Louis. There’s a two hour waiting time. Kate and Meg are ecstatic, as they decide this perfect window is an opportunity to try and score Ryan. They engage in an innocent little bet to see who can maintain their popularity, but their struggle becomes a clown show when their antics become more and more absurd.
Due to the layover lasting several days, the two friends engage in a thorough competition to outdo themselves, only to end up in a series of mixed up, awkward, and romantic gestures. Their friendly competition, however, takes a more serious turn with misunderstandings and conflicted feelings, even leading to more serious pondering. During this stressful time, the two friends return to reassessing their friendship and relax, wondering what they might be possibly changing in a rather quite unexpected way.
The Layover, with all its funny mistakes, finally emerges but not particularly about a love story, rather about moving on with certainty with a clear head and the need of friendship and more importantly, self love.
The Layover has centered itself around two well known and established both in film and television leading actresses which form the center of a small ensemble cast.
Kate is played by Alexandra Daddario, who is known to be more rational and composed of the two friends. Daddario in this case infuses the character with a particularly endearing blend of intelligent and awkward charm. Her ability to capture the complexities of vulnerability and comedic timing gives life to this character who otherwise would veer towards the stereotype.
In this film, Upton captures the spirit of Meg, who serves as a free-spirited and impulsive partner to Kate. Upton’s bouncing energetic personality as a model and her acting in other films shines through here as well. While her character might seem like a typical shallow character at the start, Upton skillfully manages to capture her emotional development in the arc as the film continues.
Matt Barr has the role of Ryan, who is the one who’s conflict constitutes the film’s central theme. Gentle, well-mannered, and good-looking, Ryan is a character one would expect to find in a rom-com. While the type of film in question is expected to place the female character at the center of the action, in this film Ryan’s focus is secondary, to the relationship between Kate and Meg.
In addition to directing the film, he also has a short role in the film as an actor, William H. Macy. While his directing maintains the pace with the sharpened slapstick silliness, he also splices in patches of stillness, allowing time for reflection that the staring players seem to need.
In the written document that serves as the script, the two guys who are responsible for the film, David Hornsby and Lance Krall, focus on the relationship between the two main characters and the veil of misunderstandings that serves to bring life to the dialogues in the form of situational comedy.
Cinematography under Jas Shelton captures the bright and chaotic style of the film. The visual style takes an energetic approach with comedy whether at an airport, in a hotel, or at a roadside diner.
Ratings and Public Response
The Layover has a 4.8/10 rating on IMDb which suggests an average audience and critic reception. Viewers enjoyed the fact that the film focused on lighter and easier to digest topics, while critics believed it was an unoriginal work with no character development.
Predictability was the film’s most glaring flaw. The love triangle has been one of the most used plots in comedy and The Layover does not try to change it at all. Critics have pointed out that the conflict between Kate and Meg comes at the expense of more serious and needed storytelling about women’s friendships.
On the other hand, The Layover has found an audience among people who enjoy mindless films that do not require full mental engagement. The more approachable work has been of aid in lightening the creative load among people who enjoy such comedies.
The film’s positive reception was said to be because of Alexandra’s Daddario performance. Daddario’s ability to portray Kate as flighty yet somehow grounded especially added emotional depth to an otherwise ridiculously convoluted plot. Kate Upton’s performance, although more divisive, was also noted for her willingness to step out of her comfort zone by engaging in physical comedy and.
There was a measure of intrigue to D. William H. Macy’s ‘s efforts. For someone held in esteem and a dramatic actor of his stature, his venture into directing a film of broad comedy was a surprise to some in the critique sphere. Even though the film was not noted for its overwhelming praise, it stood out in the sense that, the direction of Macy was appreciated for the ability to sustain and maintain an even flowing rhythm of tone and pacing, even if the material was lacking in substance.
Conclusion:
The Layover (2017) is a film that embraces the tried and true comedic masterpieces about traveling gone awry, romantic rivalry, and friendship put to the test by competition. For a movie that claims to promise a story that lack innovation, it does just that, satisfying an audience that looks for an animated and clever yet lengthy narrative about two companion who are in the middle of two plot twists, both of which are physical and emotional.
The strength of the movie is appreciated in the depiction of the bond between dissimilar souls and how trials and tribulations can compel individuals to reevaluate their priorities. Though tempered by competition, the focus of the film on cross-female friendship serves to stress the point that the human bond is everchanging and that, more often than not, it is laughter that helps in the sustenance of such bonds.
While not regarded as a notable cinematic creation, The Layover serves the purpose of entertainment to those looking to be amused by a lighthearted tale teeming with humorous adventures. There is little demand on the part of the movie from the viewer apart from the instruction to giggle at the antics of two friends who find themselves at the mercy of life’s unexpected twists.
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