An actress (Amanda Peet) falls for the anxious law school dropout (Matthew Shear) babysitting her kids in this smart, New York-set romantic comedy.
Chuck says:
Slight but well-meaning, Matthew Shear’s “Fantasy Life,” is a vanity project that aimlessly meanders about before reaching its predictable conclusion. Taking place in the rarified section of New York society Woody Allen first gave us a glimpse of, the story moves in fits and starts, introducing numerous situations that go undeveloped, all in service to a hard-to-swallow premise that becomes more ridiculous as it unfolds.
Sam (Shear) suffers from debilitating anxiety, a condition that leads to him losing his job at a New York City law firm. Seeing his therapist, Fred (Judd Hirsch), in an effort to get a handle on the situation, the doctor’s wife, Helen (Andrea Martin) offers him a babysitting job. Seems her son, David (Alessandro Nivola) and his wife, Dianne (Amanda Peet) are in need of someone to watch their three girls, Emma (Riley Vinson), Zoe (Romy Fay) and Claire (Callie Santoro). With no other prospects, he accepts.
What Sam doesn’t realize is that he’s stumbling into a marriage in crisis. Dianne’s once fruitful acting career has stalled – she hasn’t worked in ten years – while David is restless, the musician agreeing to go on an international tour to get some distance and stroke his ego. Neither wants to admit that a tipping point in their relationship is rapidly approaching.
Shear’s script is choppy and at times disjointed. At multiple times, the story jumps months ahead, robbing the viewer of scenes covering the developing relationship between Sam and his three charges, the disintegration of Dianne and David’s union and other key points that are in dire need of further explanation. That the story is hard to become engaged in comes as no surprise.
If there’s ever been an example of a veteran cast making material better than it is, this is it. Nivola finds the perfect narcissistic pitch to capture David’s casual egotism but his vulnerability as well. That you sympathize with him is a tribute to the actor’s impressive high-wire act. In addition to Hirsch and Martin, Bob Balaban and Jessica Harper are on hand as Dianne’s parents, these four veterans perfectly finding the deft touch needed to make their characters distinctive but not overbearing, There’s a great deal of acting muscle memory on display.
However, its Peet who’s the focus, the actress finally getting a role deserving of her underused talent. Wearing little make up throughout, she uses her still beautiful but weathered face to her advantage, it helping to convey Dianne’s battered psyche. Vacillating between moments of desperation and despair to those of anger and strength, in Dianne she creates a portrait of a woman in crisis, her mental health issues allowing her to appear functional but little else. It’s a subtly moving turn, the character relatable and recognizable thanks to Peet’s fine work.
As for Shear, he’s the weak link on screen, not able to keep pace with his more experienced co-stars. He’s unable to generate any real sympathy in Sam, which is a fatal flaw. While we connect with Dianne, he remains a collection of quirks rather than a genuine character, undercutting the filmmaker’s theme.
With his intent on examining and dispelling the stigma of mental illness, Shear’s on thematically solid ground. Unfortunately, directing, writing and acting in your first feature film is seldom a recipe for success. An objective set of eyes is necessary to avoid the many pitfalls that come from wearing these three hats. “Fantasy” would have benefitted from having a more critical eye applied to its making, one that might have helped define its protagonist more fully and drive home its point with greater impact.
2 1/2 Stars
