"She's definitely weird, but like a good weird." Doris Miller (Field) has just lost her mother and reason for living. She isn't sure what to do now, stuck in a job and spending her nights with her friend Roz and Vivian. One day while heading to work she sees John (Greenfield) and everything changes. She falls in love with him and wants to find the courage to talk to him. Little by little Doris opens up and finds her confidence, and begins to find herself again. This is a movie that flips the norm on its head. This movie deals with an older woman trying to pursue a younger man. Sally Field gives one of her best performances to date and really plays this character perfectly. You feel sorry for her but not to the point of pity, and really root for her but also cringe a few times at her actions. This is at its core a funny and moving romantic comedy, but it deals more with self discovery than the pursuit of love itself. That is refreshing to see and because of that it actually felt fresh. Overall, just a really nice movie with a great performance by Sally Field. I give this a B.
Add a Review
-
subxerogravity19 March 2016I like it, I really really liked it!
Academy Award winner, Sally Field proves that she still has the charm and charisma at this stage in life, to headline a young hip movie.
Fields plays, Doris, a seasoned Staten Islander working in accounts at a young trendy business, who develops a crush on the new Art Director who sparks the young at heart feeling Doris needed after spending her youth taking care of a ill mother.
It's a very realistic look at what it's like for someone who has an age difference form the rest of their co workers.
Sally Field was great to look at. She brings that old school class of acting to a new style of film making. Field brings a lot of respect to Doris, that makes you feel for the character and connect with what she's going through as she pursues her much younger love interest.
It's familiar and refreshing all at the same time. A funny and enjoyable must see film. -
soupster15 May 2016I want to write a fair, balanced, impartial and pertinent review of this film... but it's difficult.
The problem is... it's near perfect. It is clever and inventive in it's conception, beautifully constructed and crafted in it's form, musically enchanting... and importantly... not infested with formulaic Hollywood nonsense.
The actors do everything that is expected of them, (and more in the cases of Sally Field and Tyne Daily), there is zero CGI... and the swearing is limited (and confined) to the sort of swearing real people engage in. Healthy, gutsy, robust 'effing' and blinding. Also... no swords, elves, planets or vampires intrude on the fun.
We all have our own preferences when it comes to entertainment I like my music intricate and embracing, I like my novels to be difficult to define... and I like my films to be addictive... (at least for the duration of the film). I like to know I will definitely watch it again...and that I will laugh and care the same way I did the first time around.
A truly pleasing film. I'm in my sixties too... Sally Field is 'effing' gorgeous. -
Michael_Elliott7 August 2016Hello, My Name is Doris (2015)
*** (out of 4)
Sally Field shines playing Doris, a 60-something woman who hears a motivational speaker and soon builds up the courage to go after her much younger co-worker (Max Greenfield).
HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS isn't a masterpiece but it was obviously intended to be a showcase for Field. Lets face it, the sad reality is that most great actresses can't get great roles after they reach a certain age, which is a real shame because film buffs are always robbed of seeing great performances. Field proves why she's an Oscar-winning actress with a wonderful performance in a film she pretty much carries on her own.
The film's comedy lies with Field having to act hip to things like Facebook and different sorts of music. There are some very funny moments throughout the picture but there's no question that the main draw is watching Field perform her magic. She really brings this character to life and there's no question that it's not just a one note job. She has to play different layers with this character including a couple dramatic moments that come out of no where yet the actress nails it.
Greenfield is also extremely good in his part and really brings a warmth to his character that perfectly blends with Field. The two share a terrific chemistry and certainly carry the film. HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS isn't ground-breaking in any way, shape or form but it's an entertaining little gem that shows Field hasn't lost a beat. -
gradyharp17 June 2016Need a feel good movie? This little sentimental but funny and ultimately emotionally satisfying film is the work of Laura Terruso (form her previous short film 'Doris & The Intern') and Michael Showalter who also directs. The story at times becomes exasperating because of the failure of the main character to step out of her old backward ways in dress and behavior and join the contemporary times, but it also s a reminder of how aging people define their world and their entrapment in it.
Doris (Sally Field) is a 60-something woman who passed up an engagement early in life to remain with her mother on Staten Island. At the opening of the film we witness the funeral of the deceased mother with the emotionally impaired Doris struggling with her brother (Stephen Root) and sister in law (Wendy McLendon-Covey) over who should get the full of junk and memories house in which Doris lives and commutes by Ferry to Manhattan every day where she works in a small tacky cubicle. Doris meets John (Max Greenfield) on the elevator and immediately feels electricity despite the fact that the very young John is not in her range of relationships. Through a series of discussions with Doris' best friend Roz (Tyne Daly) and daughter Vivian (Isabella Acres) as well as a meeting with a self-help guru (Peter Gallagher) Doris attempts to court John, even to the extent of attending a punk rock party and other failed attempts and finally has to face the fact that john is only a friend (despite many hilarious fantasies of possible love affairs).
Sally Fields is consistently terrific though her grossly absurd costumes grow tiresome and make us realize how futile is her true attempt to woo John. The film does focus on aging people and their problems assimilating with the young millennials and in the midst of this is a solid core of respect for the need of the lonely partnerless person. It just goes on a bit long. Grady Harp, June 16 -
SnoopyStyle24 July 2016Doris Miller (Sally Field) has cared for her mother until her recent death. Her brother Todd (Stephen Root) and his wife Cynthia (Wendi McLendon-Covey) want her to clean out and sell her Staten Island house. Dr. Edwards (Elizabeth Reaser) is treating her hording. She falls for the much younger new co-worker John Fremont (Max Greenfield). Her best friend Roz (Tyne Daly) takes care of granddaughter Vivian (Isabella Acres) who helps Doris set up a fake Facebook profile to friend John. This leads Doris to John's favorite band as they get close. Then she discovers he has girlfriend Brooklyn Henderson (Beth Behrs).
This is a quirky indie with an unusual point of view. The light fun tone is odd at first with the premise. I kept thinking of an odd geezer hound dogging a young girl. It wouldn't work as a light comedy. However, Sally Field makes this infinitely better. She oozes charm and is full of fun. It takes a powerful sadder side trip with her hording. There are quirky turns that don't completely work for me but Sally Field is undeniable here. She is the shining star that energizes this movie. -
siderite24 September 2017This is a romantic comedy in the sense that someone is madly in love with another and they play all these fantasies in their head and it changes their lives. The catch is that the love bird is a 70 year old woman and the object of her infatuation is a twenty something guy that works in her office.
Sally Field plays the role great and you can understand that when you watch the movie and you feel weird, when you are both rooting for her and feel a little grossed out. You totally buy her acting in the role.
I am not a fan of romcoms and, frankly, I won't recommend this movie, but it had some good moments and it is one romantic comedy that feels real, not those prefabricated guy meets girl, hits a snag and then they get together. If I absolutely had to watch a romcom, this would be in the top of my list. -
ferguson-618 March 2016Greetings again from the darkness. Hollywood has long ignored the pushback on its habit of casting younger women as the love interest of older men. In most of those movies, the relationships are treated as normal and expected. In the few movies that turn the tables, a relationship between an older woman and younger man is typically treated as either comedy or scandal consider Harold and Maude (1971) and Notes on a Scandal (2006). In this latest film, writer/director Michael Showalter (The Baxter) and co-writer Laura Terruso strive to balance heartfelt emotions with situational laughs.
Sally Field returns to leading lady status as Doris, a never-married frumpy accountant in her late 60's who has been living in her childhood home whilst caring for her ailing mother hoarding everything from magazines to packaged food seasoning to a single water ski. The film begins with the open casket funeral of Doris' mom, and we see her brother (Stephen Root) and his obnoxious and rude wife (Wendi McLendon) immediately pounce on Doris to clear out the clutter and sell the house. They even set her up with a hoarder specialist/therapist (Elizabeth Reaser) who finds the case quite challenging.
The real fun in the movie begins with a close encounter in the office elevator, when Doris and her cat-eye glasses come face to face with a handsome and charming young man who offers up a compliment – something Doris rarely experiences. Of course, a few minutes later, we learn the young man is John (Max Greenfield, "New Girl"), the new artistic director in Doris' office. For years, Doris has depended upon cheesy romance novels to supply the fantasy in her life, and now the lessons from that reading kick into full gear.
It's a night out with her best friend Roz (Tyne Daly) that results in a chance interaction with a cocky motivational speaker (Peter Gallagher) whose catchphrase is "Every week has seven days. None of them are named Someday". He leaves Doris with this thought: "Impossible means I'm possible". When combined with those romance novels, Doris now sees a realistic chance for love if she pursues the man of her dreams the aforementioned (and half her age) John.
With the help of Roz' teenage granddaughter (Isabella Acres), Doris learns how to Facebook stalk, and soon enough ends up at a concert with John's favorite techno band, Baby Goya and Nuclear Winters (led by Jack Antonoff of Fun.). John and his group of hipster friends are enamored with Doris' vintage clothes and quirky sense of style and speech. She soon finds herself posing in spandex for Baby Goya's album cover, going to dinner parties, and joining a rooftop knitting group of millennials.
Judging by the boisterous laughing by women in the theatre, this is a prime "GNO" flick for women of all ages. Most of the comedic situations seemed pretty obvious and predictable, and I found some traits of Doris to be less than appealing. However, as a statement on what happens when the outside world passes by, and generational gaps become almost impossible to bridge, the film makes a bold statement on real friendship between mature women. It poses the question, what determines whether a personal awakening is real or imagined?
Sally Field (turning 70 in 2016) gives a terrific performance, and it goes much deeper than someone who puts her reading glasses on top of her regular glasses and wears giant bows in her giant hairpiece. Ms. Field has excelled in such previous work as "Sybil" (1975), Norma Rae (1978), Places in the Heart (1983), and Lincoln (2011). She understands comedy and human drama, and as Doris you'll kind of like her. You'll really kind of like her! -
Sally Field gets the role of a lifetime as a hoarder working in a trendy office who has the hots for a younger employee. One of the best things about "Hello, My Name Is Doris" is that it shows how Doris is sort of an oddball and can irritate those around her, but is nonetheless a good person. She was the only sibling who took care of their mom. Basically, Doris wants to stick to her house and possessions, and their representation of the old days amid a world that advances too quickly for her, and her attraction to this younger man is the only possible sexual satisfaction for her. Most of all, it's refreshing to see a movie that focuses on older women (aside from Doris, there's her friend Roz, played by Tyne Daly). One of the most impressive scenes is when Doris gets photographed (and believe me, Sally Field looks sexy in some of those outfits that she wears).
The long and short of it is that "Hello, My Name Is Doris" is a really good movie. Sally Field has gotten some of the best roles of her career later in life, and I hope that she continues to do so. She, Tyne Daly, and the rest of the cast put in fine performances. I recommend this movie to everyone. -
rozette10 June 2017This movie shows that there is a generation gap. Not in years but in understanding this new electronic age and computers. Not everyone is capable with computers, mainly seniors. You cannot exclude us because of our age (me 70 years old), we are are not so easily impressed with Facebook, etc. Sometimes just making a phone call is much appreciated this movie shows this.
-
j_stromoski2 April 2016Sally Field does the best job in the world with a terrible character that should not be the lead focus of a movie. A lot of people will probably say that Field's character was "charming" or "eccentric", but I'm 100% creeped out by this woman. Nearly every choice this woman makes in this movie is wrong. She manipulates situations to wiggle her way into a young man's life to try and seduce him. Putting aside the role is a harmless old lady played by innocent-looking Sally Field, if the script was flipped the movie would be even more unappealing. Imagine Burt Reynolds hitting on Anna Kendrick...precisely.
From the word "Go" she lies about who she is, what she likes, even orchestrating a pseudo-sexual situation where he needs to fill her ball with his pump. Yeah, that happens. Doris is so obsessed with this man that she stoops to making a fake profile on Facebook to try and get information on him. She stalks him to a concert, follows him around when he's on a date, then later she uses her fake profile to sabotage the relationship he's in.
And the ending, my God. What a vague message, what a pointless moral, what an unlikely unfolding of events considering the context of everything that happened prior. The writers and director actually suggest that despite her sabotage, her lying, the massive age difference and over-all questionable mental health of this woman, the young man actually wants her. Just an example of how this movie allows itself to suspend reality for the sake of lame humor and weak story. People don't talk the way that people in this movie talk, the whole story is so far-fetched, and the supporting cast might as well be magic 8-balls since their only function is to be as mildly amusing as possible while the main characters bounce dialogue off of them. If you're old, you might like it slightly, if you're not, then definitely not. -
rzajac11 June 2016This is a great example of ultrafine filmmaking that simultaneously courts convention, and then proceeds to transcend it.
It starts up as straight-up storytelling bolstered by a focus on character/scenario development, and winds up being quite close to mythic. Doris starts out as a "character", but ends up as a goddess. That's a laudable achievement for film.
This flick, more than many, gets my inner wheels turning, pondering the production process that brought together so many fine talents to produce such a fine film product. After watching so many hi-tech, meticulous productions that skimp on narrative/mythic depth, it's nice to see a mid-tech product that really does deliver the goods.
Check it out. -
preppy-327 August 2016Sally Field plays Doris. She's a woman in a dead end job who has spent her whole life caring for her mom. Now her mom is dead and her mean brother and equally vicious wife want her to move out of the house she spent her whole life in. Then a handsome young man named John (Max Greenfield) starts at her work. She falls for him quickly. Problem is he's young enough to be her son! She tries to get him ignoring her best friend (Tyne Daly) who tries to talk sense to her. It has a realistic if bittersweet ending.
Mild but sweet comedy/drama. It treats the character of Doris with respect. It never makes fun or her or shows her as being pathetic. It's never laugh out loud funny but I was smiling more than once. Field is great (as always) in her role. Daly matches her but is sadly underused. Even more underused is Greenfield who is just called upon to stand around looking handsome and grinning endlessly. Also his character is a bit too saint-like for me. Still I like the movie. It's sweet and charming. Rated R only for some language. -
hoffmanaz6 April 2016I can't see why so many people liked this movie. There were far more depressing scenes than comedic ones. The plot wavered between absurdity and sadness. There is the scene where the rock star says Doris would be ideal for the cover of his next album, and his photographer agrees with every other word an f-bomb. This is followed by a scene where Doris poses for the album cover in some very un-Doris like poses. Then--nothing. We don't see where this interesting if improbably story line went, because it went nowhere. Also unsatisfying were the stereotypical portrayals of young New Yorkers as shallow and uninformed, Doris rather like Peter Sellars in "Being There," soaking up all their trivial comments.
But worst of all is the ending (I clicked "Spoiler Alert" above) which is so illogical it made no sense. Logic would have suggested that John and Brooklyn reconcile after Doris confesses she sent the nasty Facebook posting. Instead, John declares he really likes older women and gives Doris a big smooch. Really? There were several scenes, mainly earlier in the film, where Doris fantasizes about John loving her, and the penultimate scene in the film is one of those fantasies, replaced by a "reality" where John says he really likes her. Another fantasy? This is the worst relationship/comedy since "Grandma." -
Gordon-117 April 2017This film tells the story of a older woman, who falls for a handsome and charming young man in the office. She tries to develop a relationship with him, but things are not as easy as it seems.
The story of "Hello, My Name is Doris" is really sweet. I think it is great that a romantic comedy portrays a woman that is older, tapping into a market and into hearts that have largely been neglected. Doris is lovable, happy and full of energy. John, the handsome colleague, is very charming both within and without. It is easy to see how ladies fall for him. The story is funny in a good and positive way, without being offensive or gross. It is refreshing to see a romantic comedy to rely on the charming personalities of the two leads, without having resort to low level humour. The ending makes me gasp, as it seems rather open ended! I enjoyed watching it, and I will recommend others to watch it too. -
Quietb-129 March 2016Sally Field carries this small movie on her back. She is in every scene and makes this movie work. It looks like it was shot on a cel phone and the lack of budget shows on the screen. There's an interesting use of music.
Sally Field's gives new meaning to a cougar. She goes after the young man. The most amusing things on the screen are in her head.
Some may find this looking for love in all the wrong places depressing. It is a small movie that doesn't need to be seen on the big screen. Sally Field's performance makes it watchable, especially on a home platform. -
paul-allaer20 March 2016"Hello, My Name Is Doris" (2015 release; 90 min.) brings the story of Doris (played by Sally Field). As the movie opens, we see Doris mourning the passing of her mom, and being pressured by her brother to sell the maternal house, or at least get rid of all the stuff Doris is hoarding. It's not long before we see Doris doing her daily work commute on the Staten Island Ferry to Manhattan, and in the packed elevator onto the office, she is pressed up against a younger guy, who turns out to be the new art director at her work. Doris promptly develops a crush on him. At this point we're 10 minutes or so into the movie, but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this rom-com is directed by Michael Showalter, best known for writing and starring in the "Wet Hot American Summer" film (and subsequent Netflix prequel series). Here, he tackles the subject of the older woman-younger guy potential relationship with a light touch. The first half of the movie goes for the outright comedy aspects, as we see the Sally Filed character in a number of improbable (including some brought as fantasy) scenes, to the total delight of last night's theater crowd, which went absolutely wild with laughter (more on that later). At some point, Doris and her friend Roz go to see a motivational speaker, where she confides about her 'impossible' crush on her co-worker. "Impossible? Make that I'm possible!" advises the speaker, ha! The second half of the movie goes more into more serious aspects, including surprisingly but very effectively the hoarding issues (the hoarding "intervention" scene is for me the best of the entire movie). Sally Field, now a crisp 69 years young, brings a stellar performance as the perky Doris, completely blowing away Max Greenfield (exactly half her age) as her co-worker John, Beth Behrs (as John's possible flame), and the rest of the cast. Tyne Daly as her friend Roz remains feisty as ever, The movie is well paced, and clips by in no time. There is a surprising amount of great indie music featured in the movie, including from Pearl and the Beard, Bryan Wells, and a bunch of other unknowns (to me anyway).
"Hello, My Name Is Doris" made quite a splash when it was first shown at SXSW 2015, yes exactly a year ago already, Not sure why it's take this long for it to get a general release. The movie opened this weekend on a single screen for all of Greater Cincinnati, and the Saturday evening screening where I saw this at was absolutely packed to the rafters (tilting heavily towards seniors, I might add). The audience absolutely LOVED the movie, laughing out loud, hooting and hollering where you might expect it, and giving a round of applause when the end titles started rolling. From that reaction, I'd say that this movie has all the makings of a solid hit on the art-house theater circuit. If you are in the mood for a light-hearted rom-com that at times touches on some serious aspects as well, you cannot go wrong with this. -
edohanclasen9 July 2018I really enjoyed watching this film.
Reading the synopsis beforehand I expected it to be kind of a low budget comedy with lots of corny, expected jest of a old lady trying to allure a younger man. Although the movie did have some of these elements, it beautifully dramatized the life of Doris Miller (Sally Field) in a way one can relate to.
The age difference between Doris and John Fremont (Max Greenfield, an actor I have been fond of since I saw him as Schmidt in New Girl) is portrayed in a very unique way. In particular the film exploited the almost ridiculousness of modern 'hipster' notions. In several scenes Doris is sketched as a real-life thrift shop and the mere fact that Doris is old attracts and amuses Fremont and his friends.
Apart from the main plot that follows Doris' attempts to impress Fremont, it also has some deep character development in Doris. Overcoming her mother's death (Doris took care of her for several years) and having to get rid of some of her mom's belongings, and at the same time handle her demanding siblings, Doris discovers that there is several things in her life that makes her unhappy. While in this turmoil with Fremont it also helps her overcome this personal problems.
I would recommend this film to anyone looking for an easy-watching, congenial and relaxing comedy that is not the same as the normal slapstick, predictable comedies doing the rounds nowadays. -
ChrisScreenwriter25 May 2022SPOILERS
This is ultimately a sad film, because what we hope desperately for Sally Field's character, Doris, doesn't come true. The truth is that many women of a certain age do wish a gorgeous man in his 30s or 40s would fall in love with her. As do younger women who, through shyness, situation, or lack of beauty, don't get that chance. We hope against hope that Doris will get her wish, yet we know deep inside that she will not.
A good film with great performances. -
Dragoneyed36312 December 2016It's fine if you didn't enjoy it, to each their own, but I find it highly implausible to call the main character a "creep" or talk about how she's morally corrupt. Come on. This movie is about how all people yearn for human connection, and it's not like Doris is present day Hitler. Sally Field plays an elderly woman who is very reserved and lonely to an extent, like all of us. The film mostly tries to convey how all people deserve love and care, even estranged elderly women, and it does so in a very fun and lighthearted manner, in my opinion.
Yes, Doris makes decisions that seem lacking in good character. She steals small items and stalks the man she is infatuated with, among other things. Do these actions make her unlikable as a person though? No. She is inherently a sweet and endearing woman with enjoyable characteristics. One of the best scenes is when she buys a CD just to get closer to her young crush and ends up actually enjoying the music and having a good time listening to it. She just wants to be loved, and damn it all I loved her to a tee. Sally Field fills the part wonderfully and creates a very enjoyable persona, after seeing the movie I don't see anyone that could have pulled it off more swimmingly.
This movie had me in sheer gut-busting laughter at a couple of scenes actually. I speak of Doris's long daydreams into her heartthrob of a co-worker on a daily basis. Had me rolling on the floor! And for a large portion of the movie, I was sporting a large grin on my face. It's very feel good, even in the most morose moments of the film. Sally Field steals the show obviously, but Max Greenfield is positively charming in the supporting role and seems very comfortable on screen with Field and all of their scenes are believable and work in the sense that you can feel Doris's aching need for love and above all, just attention. It's very moving and sweet.
Also, Greenfield is incredibly good looking and I don't see how someone could pass up being obsessed over those eyes, smile and body anyway. I can not blame Doris, at all. Altogether, Hello My Name is Doris was a wonderful ride. I had fun with it, and thought most everything about the movie was genuinely charming and heartwarming. -
mark.waltz11 January 2018I find that modern films come in four varieties: those which stand the test of time (a rare few), those which appeal to older audiences or the art house crowd, those only meant for young audiences, and those which the various generations can look at in their own way. That last genre is how I see this film, and coming from the late baby boomer era, I find a lot to appreciate here, a lot to make me cringe, and even a lot more to laugh at. I identify with the seemingly sad character played by Sally Field, lost in her world of having taken care of a dying parent. She's also the sole survivor of the veterans in a modernized company (ridiculously) which takes out chairs and puts in oversized beachballs simply "because". A new young employee (Max Greenfield) whom she becomes obsessed with, stalks on social media (another big eew), becomes ridiculously trendy, yet comes to life for the very first time.
I can't imagine working at an office with nothing but millennials, because as is shown here, the basic rules of language and communication get destroyed. Field though seems to be having a ball and indeed is extremely funny. There's an ironic reference to "The Glass Menagerie" which Field appeared in on Broadway at the same time. Field is supported by the wonderful Tyne Daly, earth mother supreme, raising an over the top millennial granddaughter who shows Field how to make a fake social media account and gives her all sorts of ill-advised pointers on getting Greenfield's attention, all the while virtually avoiding her grandmother. So much to amuse, but way more to annoy with it's ultra liberal viewpoints of what society has become. Unlike other modern movies, though, the urge to turn it off is suppressed by the wonderful Fields. Her outburst when an estranged brother and some intrusive social workers try to get the hording Fields to throw things away is truly magical, and as much as you realize how obsessive/compulsive she is, the attempted control is maddening. If this accomplishes anything, it's the thoughts this brings up: of a growing generation gap, of old ideals needlessly replaced by senseless trends. and how just one odd meeting of the minds between different generations can change the world. -
angeladg-4423723 April 2017I thought this was a comedy. Turned out it was very sad and kept me up all night as I was so upset about this poor old lady being in humiliating situations so many times. I found it to be a heartbreaking movie that made it appear as though love between an older lady and a younger man could not be possible. The old lady was very attaching and I loved her. She played her role beautifully. I just do not see what is funny about this movie, unless you like to laugh at vulnerable old ladies.
-
cuiml828 March 2016There's so much more to this than just an older woman falling for a younger man. Doris' life had been cut off as a young woman when she was needed to take care of her ailing mother. Upon her death, she returns to where she left off in her youth. She doesn't really have any other reference than that which she felt like as a young woman in love, and never was given the opportunity to pursue those feelings. That's is Doris' starting point and her return to herself. It's beautiful and Sally Field and Max play it beautifully as well as the other actors. Tyne Daly is at her best.
This is really a wonderful movie. It really keeps you thinking and your heart aching for Doris and cheering her on! -
Sally Field, outfitted like a retro bag lady, plays an elderly data entry operator from Staten Island who lives like a hoarder in her deceased mother's house and has few friends; everything changes, however, once she becomes close with the handsome young man she works with--and secretly loves. Writers Laura Terruso, expanding her short film "Doris & the Intern," and Michael Showalter, who also directed, build the second-half of their movie on the dramatic crux that Doris has inadvertently broken up her crush and his girlfriend after creating a phony Facebook account, and it's not enough. Nor is it convincing when Doris' brother and hateful sister-in-law try to rearrange her life (and, eventually, Doris comes around to see they're right!). There are fantasy interludes which intrude upon the narrative that are a cheat, and also a photo session for a music group that should be a fantasy but isn't. Field is terrific in an unbelievable role; the actress shows us many different sides of Doris and makes her endearing, even though the conception of this character is basically unreal. **1/2 from ****
-
MaryKathleenSpangenberg15 June 2016I agree with the naysayers about this movie being bothersome on so many levels. It is. Yes, the acting is great but the plot is dark, sad, depressing and actually kind of gross. I did feel very emotional at the blow out between brother and sister. I felt so sorry for the character and it explained a lot. I was also happy to see that Doris had a kind friendship in her life.
This movie has some great acting, true but the film is tragically sad, and sick in my opinion. I agree with the poster who said the movie would not be cute if you knew people in life that are like her in real life. I agree this movie is not a comedy at all. I never laughed once during the entire movie. If you like dark, sad, tragic movies about dysfunction then yes maybe you will like it.