Everybody lies

posted on Saturday, October, 25th, 2008 in moving pictures

I found this movie through a mention in a blog I don’t even read (sorry), but I can’t for the life of me remember how I found that blog.

But never mind those little details. The film itself is definitely worth watching. Not only because it is made in New Zealand (always reason enough for me to like something), but because it is just funny and touching and utterly lovely – and it would be so, even if not every single person spoke in the cutest kiwi accent imaginable.

It’s basically a story about a couple of losers. Lily is a cashier at a fast food restaurant who has a crush from afar on Jarrod, a slightly mad geek who works in a video game store. The film follows their courtship, if that’s the right word (well, it’s mostly Lily who’s doing the courting, while Jarrod is quite an asshole most of the time), which is sometimes cringeworthy, but mostly quite endearing to watch. Watch the trailer and you will see what I mean (sorry, I just didn’t manage to get it embedded here).

The appeal of the film is hard to explain – it just has to be seen. But apart from making you laugh out loud a couple of times, it will definitely leave you with a smile on your face. I think “heartwarming” is the fitting description.

My enjoyment of the film derived to a big part also from the New Zealand setting. It was so great watching normal Kiwis doing completely normal stuff in a completely normal setting. Families bickering, people strolling along almost deserted streets, riding a bus overland, cars driving on the left side of the road (I still miss that in Germany). It was almost like going home again for a while.

If I had a rating system, this film would get 5 out of 5 stars from me.