In a summer filled with cinematic bombast and overkill, it’s always a nice surprise to find a charming little comedy with heart like “People Places Things.”
Directed by Jim Strouse, the film stars the reliably droll Jemaine Clement as Will, a seemingly happy father of young twins living with his mate Charlie (Stephanie Allyne) in a Brooklyn brownstone. That happy existence is shattered when he catches his wife in a compromising position with another man at their daughters’ birthday party.
We rejoin the action a year later. Charlie is now living with that other guy, Gary (Michael Chernus), a reticent performance artist, in the Brooklyn brownstone. Will, however, lives alone in Queens; he’s a graphic novelist who teaches the form at the New School. He only gets to spend time with his daughters on weekends, which he finds unsatisfying.
He complains about that to Charlie, who gives him unexpected primary custody while she figures out her life. Which throws the shambling, routine-bound Will’s existence into something of a tizzy.
He’s also navigating the dating world for the first time in a while, because one of his students (Jessica Williams from “The Daily Show”) decides to fix him up with her divorced mother Diane (Regina Hall).
The plot is almost beside the point.
This review continues on my website.