The comedy was spot on, and the romance was not overused as many Rom- Com have become lately, brought on the surface the lesbians part of romance yet not too much involved which was really great producing, the casting was also successful, characters we'v seen on TV and some in a few movies and still managed to look fresh and new even for Gillian Jacobs and Gabourey Sidibe. i would'v make it more twisty and knot the plot a little more but the story still got out great the way it is. and as i said it was Good story, peaked and grow properly and it nicely ended . so bravo for the cast and Susanna Fogel for a good directing and writing ;)
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Aktham_Tashtush18 February 2015
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SnoopyStyle11 May 2015Sasha (Leighton Meester) is gay and best friends with straight Paige (Gillian Jacobs). Their best friends are Jen (Gabourey Sidibe) and Jenn (Beth Dover). They are inseparable until Paige meets Tim (Adam Brody). Paige is an environmental lawyer. Tim keeps quoting movies. Sasha is a musician in a dead-end job who doesn't play music. Paige accepts Tim's marriage proposal. Sasha keeps dating immature girls like Vanessa (Abby Elliott) and Mia (Greer Grammar).
The first half is sweet and a bit of quirky. It's mildly humorous. It's two best friends growing apart as their lives change. The second half is a slightly better. The humor has a little bite. There is some personal drama but it never truly gets too dramatic. Both Meester and Jacobs have endearing qualities. Overall, it's a light, sweet and mildly funny life stories of late twenty-somethings. -
Red-12525 October 2014Life Partners (2014) was directed by Susanna Fogel. Sasha--Leighton Meester--is best friends with Paige--Gillian Jacobs. Sasha is a lesbian, and Paige is straight. Neither of them has a problem with this--there's no romantic interest, but lots of love.
Enter Tim--Adam Brody--who falls in love with Paige. (There's a movie in-joke here, because in real life, Brody is married to Meester.). Tim and Paige are engaged, and living together. The movie takes a strange turn at this point, when Paige backs into a neighbor's car. She refuses to take responsibility, which bothers Tim. This theme apparently was required to fill out a 95-minute movie. The whole business was trivial.
The real theme, in my opinion, was the inevitable break between Sasha and Paige. The theme of female friendship being broken when men become involved is old--think of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. It may be old, but it still resonates. I think that's what this movie really was about. It's certainly a theme worth exploring.
We saw this film at the Dryden Theatre as part of the well-chosen offerings of ImageOut, the Rochester LGBT Film Festival. It will work well on DVD. -
Red_Identity6 November 2014This theme is certainly nothing new, it's one of the most overdone, well, ever. But the film still manages to entertain, it's certainly easy going enough and pretty easy to watch. The chemistry between the actors works, and both of the leads make their characters fascinating enough. The film has some screenplay issues, some scenes here and there that just don't work well enough and that are cringe-worthy, so much so that I can't call this a great film no matter how easy it is to see. Some plot lines are also resolved a little too neatly and conveniently (Gillian Jacobs' character in the end). Still, despite several flaws, it manages to work.
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Leighton Meester has never given a better performance. She is really, really good in Life Partners. Gillian Jacobs has never given a better performance. She is really, really good in Life Partners. They are funny, sweet, deep, lovely and have wondrous, effortless chemistry; you believe immediately that they are the best of friends. It works so well that I wish the film had been about their characters' relationship. You could call if Life Partners...
Unfortunately, while this film _is_ called Life Partners, that's not what it's about. It's about one huge fight and their personal lives and how much they suck at leading them. And for the most part it is terribly unfunny. From ten minutes in to one minute until the credits roll, these two are at odds with one another. From mild annoyance to a building sense of angst to complete avoidance, the film does everything it can to let you know in big neon letters that 'THERE BE PROBLEMS'. Paige is controlling, Sasha is coasting through life. Fine. We get it, movie. Except while most relationship comedies give you moments of reprieve where we remember why the two are such good friends and we get to laugh with them, Life Partners just keeps on flashing 'THERE BE PROBLEMS' every time it seems like a laugh is coming along.
The two spend the majority of their time on screen apart. Sasha, a lesbian pining for a better job and a better quality of girlfriend, spends most of her time at work as a desk jockey or with her lesbian friends (one of whom is Gabourey Sidibe, proving for the umpteenth time that she's more than just a teen running with chicken). Paige, meanwhile, goes through the film dealing with the fallout from a minor fender-bender and falling in love with her new boyfriend (Adam Brody, who has always been fantastic at playing Adam Brody and continues to be likable as Adam Brody). You see, Sasha and Paige are best friends, but because of Paige's new love life and Sasha's frustration at the loss of time with her friend 'THERE BE PROBLEMS,' so we barely get to see either woman smile.
The film runs its course with nary a twist or a turn and you wind up exactly where you'd expect, and while both women are truly delightful in their roles, damn if this story doesn't suck all of the life and joy from the predictable proceedings. I'm also very frustrated that a comedic talent as awesome as Julie White has been relegated to playing the wacky mom for the last ten years, but she is still very entertaining as Paige's wacky mom.
Given the stellar performances from its leads, I really wanted to love this film. I just can't. It's never dull or stupid or mean, none of the awkward, cringe-worthy stuff gets drawn out beyond the point of respectability and the film looks good, with slick direction and cheerful settings. It's just not funny.
6/10. All six stars go to the performances of the leads. Everything else is horribly average. -
ArchonCinemaReviews9 March 2015Paige and Sasha are not-quite-thirty best friends, sleep in the same bed comparing boob bumps BFFs - and things are about to get disrupted in Life Partners.
Life Partners is an easy enough film to watch and pretty straightforward – but it is not: for older people or most of the male audience.
Paige and Sasha, Gillian Jacobs and Leighton Meester respectively, are pretty basic as personality types – they like brunch and America's Next Top Model. Paige is a lawyer who is practically allergic to admitting she is wrong. Sasha is an underachieving lesbian. The friendship they have is sickening and just short of Mama-bird feeding tactics. When Paige goes on a date and seemingly meets a potential life partner, the friend dynamic shift causes major upheaval to Sasha and the longevity of their love.
That description is pretty sarcastic, I will admit, but there is not much to Life Partners that warrants describing. The characters are simple, the plot is simple and the conflict and ultimate resolution are simple as well. Simple does not have to mean 'bad' though – and Life Partners is a rather fun film that definitely falls in the Chick Flick category. Not surprisingly, it is directed by a female (Susanna Fogel) and there is a nice melody of female comedians and actresses in this female driven film.
Millennials will agree with the co-dependent friend dynamic in Life Partners, but in being so niched out to late twenty-something females, it loses out by not reaching to a broader audience.
Please check out our website for full reviews of all the recent releases. -
Julesecosse6 November 2015I am not too sure whether I like this movie or not. It doesn't grab me, but on the other hand it's not too awful.
I enjoyed it to a point. It's a light hearted friendship comedy. I thought that the dialogue was excellent, on point, intelligent and well thought out; but I don't believe that the story went anywhere, it was a bit meandering, somewhat like this review!. I didn't think too much of the acting ability of the leads, but the supporting cast was uniformly excellent.
I would still recommend it to men and women alike, but not as a priority must see. -
Reno-Rangan14 November 2017Life in the thirties. Just now destined to meet the life partners, which actually threatening a life long friendship. Yeah, it is kind of reminds plenty of films from the past, but never too old to enjoy, especially if you are a 30+. It was like the next level of the life story to the films like 'Ginger & Rosa', 'Little Birds', 'Very Good Girls'. One knows the life cannot go on, being with friends forever. The friendship could still remain, but when someone comes between them, it won't be the same. That's what this film is about.
What worked for this film was the two main characters. A straight and a gay friend, and how their love life or still looking for their life partner portrayed fantastically. The actresses were impressive. They are not like from list A. The director too. I wish her to flourish. Yeah, they talked about 'The Big Leboswsky' in the film, honesty, I thought too as well it an average film. The film was shot within a three weeks. Lot better than I was expecting. I love films about the life. The life transition between youth to middle-age. The lesson one learns from self-experience. So definitely a good watch. I don't see a reason to dislike it.
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franzrebs13 November 2014This movie was easy enough to watch and decently entertaining. The acting by some characters leaves much to be improved, and the transition was too quick on most parts so it feels like watching another one of those comedy flicks. However, a lot of issues tackled on the movie were very realistic and very relatable (growing out of a phase, postponing one's passion for a more conventional and menial job to afford time for creative study but end up rethinking your priorities and looking at your life from a different perspective). As a lesbian myself, I also appreciate how they treated the lesbian characters "normally" and not have their roles blown out of proportion (you know how Hollywood uses straight girl-on-girl kissing as bait). All in all, a good film worthy of staying up for on a weeknight!
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Life Partners can be viewed as a feminist version of the typical boy meets girl trope, but this film focuses more heavily on the friendship between two women. Paige, played by Gillian Jacobs is an uptight lawyer who is complemented by Sasha's care-free attitude. Paige hopes to meet a man that she likes as much as Sasha but believes it is impossible until she meets Tim. Sasha seems to be free falling through life as she blazes through relationships with various women and jobs she doesn't like while she attempts to become a musician. The movie opens with the quirky friendship between Paige and Sasha as they attend a local Pride Parade and they watch America's Next Top Model. The plot lures you in with the typical romantic comedy and chick flick aspects but you soon realize that this film has more than its face value. Life Partners quickly becomes a film that delves into real life problems, such as settling down in life and holding onto the friends you have because they seem to be the only ones that can keep you afloat. The plot, although mostly female driven, can easily resonate with people of all genders. It does not have the perfect ending for every character and thus seems more realistic than any film like it.
Involving almost a full cast of female characters, Life Partners easily passes the Bechdel test that seems to be a challenge for most films. With the help of their other friends, all the females in this movie truly grow at their own pace and staggered to seem more natural than other romantic comedies illustrate. Susanna Fogel did an amazing job of writing and directing a film that achieves a perfect a quirky comedy that balances humor with drama and normalizes the LGBT culture, which most other films find hard to achieve. Fogel also successfully avoided the cliché of "best friends being in love" that completely elevated the story line. The chemistry between the characters leads you to believe that the actresses posses the same chemistry in everyday life. -
kxdaughtry15 December 2014different with an interesting twist of a dilemma between love and friendship . I was particularly moved by the way the movie gave practical and real life depictions as opposed to the happy endings and fake happiness that can be clichés in related movies. The suspense of the movie is indeed interesting coupled with the unpredictable nature of the scenes Overall good job but improve on the video quality. The main actor did an impeccable job in taking on such a tricky role . Thumbs up Laighton looking forward to improvements in the future . Although average the movie is truly entertaining and kind of hilarious.However, I still have to express my disappointment by the representation of lesbians in the movie hey you guys could totally do better.
Thelma -
ciffou27 November 2014This is not "12 angry men" or "Citizen Kane". But it is very good in its own genre. That's why I'm giving it an 8. It's a feel-good movie that does not pretend anything else and that's the reason why it works. There's a chemistry between all the characters and even the small role played by Beth Dover makes you laugh. I guess it depends on how old you are and how seriously you take yourself in order to enjoy something like this where Sasha and Paige are going through some changes in their lives and how society expects them to be. The ending is a little hasty though. All and all, I prefer that than having something like "Divergent" lasting more than 2 hours just because as if the story were far too complicated.
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tuffy-8570827 July 2016Sasha and Paige are best friends since forever. Sasha's lesbian and Paige's straight. So far, that's just how the story goes, their lives somehow co-dependent with each other until one of them fell in love, for real and started to lose time with her bestie.
The movie tackles about true friendship (regardless of its sexual preference) that even if one day, one of them chooses a different course they will always be friends for life.
Leighton Meester's character Sasha reminds me of her character Blair in Gossip Girl. Although Blair's totally straight, both of them value their friendship even if sometimes they get hurt in the process but they don't give up easily. I think that's what friendship is all about. We learn to accept, to forgive, to be loyal until the end of time.
It's a heart-warming, feel-good and very real kind of movie that you will enjoy watching even when you are alone, with your partner or with your closest buds. It is also gender sensitive film even if the movie didn't really focus on Sasha's sexuality but focused on how Sasha is devoted to Paige's life that sometimes may be the root of their misunderstandings. The ending was simple but I couldn't think of any ending better than that. -
bettycjung24 March 20183/23/18. Sasha (gay) and Paige (straight) are best buds and roommates. Paige meets Tim and they get serious. Sasha feels left out. Will they be able to stay best buds? This basic premise works well and the movie is enjoyable to watch.
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meryann_48021 December 2014Its a film without many expectations, its not Casino Royale or Casablanca but certain it is a decent movie. Sasha is that part of ourselves who don't want to grow up, and we feel exactly like her about being an adult.
Sometimes, make friends is even harder than have a boyfriend/girlfriend and thats because we become co-dependent to each others, I though Shasha was in love with her friend, but its not like that. The movie isn't that predictable and I liked it. Maybe some people will see this movie just because Sasha is gay and maybe she's in love with her bff, but if you're here because that, just don't. This movie is about friendship, co-depending, being lonely, about friends being your only family and of course... About growing up. -
We found this movie, apparently only shown at film festivals, on Netflix streaming. My wife and I both enjoyed it, while it has many funny elements it comes across as very true to life. Set and filmed in Minneapolis.
Leighton Meester is Sasha, a Lesbian seemingly caught up in a series of dead-end shallow relationships. She has been working in different receptionist jobs for about 8 years while she figures out where her musical career should go. Her right brain rules her life.
Gillian Jacobs is Paige, Sasha's close friend for many years. She is not a Lesbian and has a job as a high-powered attorney. Her left brain rules her life. But she and Sasha get on like best friends should.
Things start to change when Paige gets fixed up with a date, Adam Brody (Meester's real-life husband) as Tim, a dermatologist. Tim is a nice guy but prefers slogan T-shirts and has a few other quirks which Paige gets to work on. She pretty much molds him into exactly what she wants. While he cooperates eventually it comes to a head and friction results.
The core of the story however is how this man causes the old friendship to crumble. It is never presented as a dastardly thing, just the inevitable result of two close friends moving apart as new life situations arise.
My favorite scene was when Paige and Tim are out at a park, he casually mentions "this thing on my back" that needs to be looked at. Paige gets worried, is it a cancerous mole, she insists he raise his shirt so she can look at it. Then she finds written on his back in large letters "Will you marry me?"
Things all work out well in the end, Paige and Tim seem very suited for each other and Sasha reexamines her goals and makes adjustments. All the actors are fine. -
teawithrosieb12 September 2015This movie was very well thought out. Serious, and funny without being too cheesy. The Producers of this movie hit all of the nails on their heads. The acting from the three main characters was superb. They did an excellent job at acting all of the awkward and uncomfortable moments. You could feel all of their emotions through the film. I also really enjoyed the buildup of the plot, very true to real life. Not to mention the many unexpected twists. This is a perfect movie illustrating the 20 something experience and many of the hardships and awkwardness that can accompany it. I believe everybody has a similar story to tell in relation to these characters.
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tieman6411 April 2015An adorable film by writer-director Susanna Fogel, "Life Partners" stars Leighton Meester and Gillian Jacobs as Sasha and Paige, a pair of best friends. This friendship is tested by the duo's increasingly diverging personalities; Paige is a hard-working conformist, Sasha is a lackadaisical lesbian and artist. Sasha accuses Pagie of changing, of betraying who she is, of becoming just another staid automaton, whilst Paige accuses Sasha of being directionless, lazy and afraid of growing up.
At first glance, "Life Partners" resembles Terry Zwigoff's "Ghost World". In that film, two best friends slowly drift apart, one becoming an artist who refuses to abide by the ways of the world, the other becoming a more traditional housewife, mother and wage-earner. A covertly political film, "Ghost World" ended with a gentle condemnation of late-capitalism's various social pressures.
In "Life Partners", though, both the artist (Sasha) and the conformist (Paige) learn to get with the programme. Here, "maturation" and "adulthood" are seen to be something to aspire to, and these aspirations are intimately bound to "work", nine-to-fives and the imposition of certain identities in order to maximise efficiency. Aware of this, director Susanna Fogel attempts to make her cast somewhat edgy, Paige an environmentalist and Sasha a musician. But like most modern films about non-heteronormatives ("The Kids are all Right", "Transamerica", "Dallas Buyer's Club" etc), diversity is still ultimately doublespeak for ideological conformity.
As a film about friendship, ageing and the anxieties of the young, "Life Partners" is mostly excellent. Fogel's dialogue zips by, and Meester and Jacobs, with their expressive faces, are mesmerising, cute and convey well the joys of friendship and the insecurities of being a young adult. By treating Sasha's homosexuality as no big deal, the film normalises homosexuality far better than most other films which try to ennoble the LGBT community.
8.5/10 - Worth two viewings. See "The Children's Hour" and "Running on Empty" (1988). -
shannernanner20 August 2015If it weren't for the biphobia in the film (the one bi/sexually fluid character is portrayed as unstable and "not gay enough" to be with), I probably would've given it a six or seven. This is far too common in media, and the stereotype is damaging.
As it was the film did portray well some of the issues of growing up and how it affects one's friendships.
I did relate to some of the issues the women went through.
It doesn't really reach very deeply though, and the ending is rather lackluster.
There was some good humor in the film, but the writing really needed polishing.
It was nice to see a mainstream film portray a non-straight main character.
Gabourey Sidibe was sorely underused as a minor supporting character.