Not every film is a masterpiece and not every film is designed to be one. Sometimes, all you need is a slice of easy, fluffy, satisfying entertainment to pass the time and fill your heart with joy. On the same weekend we received Blade Runner 2049, Reese Witherspoon's Home Again arrived in the UK; a charming romantic-comedy that does exactly what it says on the metaphorical tin and very often indulges in its simplicity.
Home Again focuses on a 40-year young woman, Alice (Witherspoon), who feels her youth and vivaciousness slipping away as she tries to mature and move on after a recent separation and relocation back to her old stomping grounds. Letting her hair down for the big birthday, she meets a group of three film-makers and ends up inviting home to stay in her home. When a romance sparks between one of them, a young director more than a decade her junior, she begins to question what she has let herself in for.
Home Again doesn't take many risks at all. It strays as humanly close to conventions without becoming completely dull and utilises the typical comedy formula to reliable effect - including a unneeded reliance on third act conflict. But, you would be seriously hard-pressed to leave the film without a warm, fuzzy feeling, no matter how much you want to resist it. It is the true definition of a guilty pleasure and has no qualms in indulging in that notion, always bursting with charm and delight. Hallie Meyers-Shyer makes her directorial and screenwriting debut with the piece, bringing the female-fronted comedy to the fold with enthusiasm and energy: it's a surprisingly confident piece of work for someone only making their debut, firmly marking her as one to watch in the near and distant future.
Meyers-Shyer's script provides the actors with a strong basis for the screwball shenanigans the group face and it carries this high-energy spirit from first frame to last, despite how predictable it can feel at times. Interlaced with some solid consideration of themes - including a reflection on the pertinent Hollywood age gap, a set-up which Home Again gladly inverts and tackles head on - it feels fluffy and fun without becoming completely disposable. Visually too, this is a beautiful film. It helps that we are very often surrounded by shiny surface and luxury at each and every turn, set in the sunny Los Angeles and populated by beautiful people.
But where Home Again truly excels is through its loveable cast and likeable characters. Reese Witherspoon is as charming here as ever, with a natural charisma and warmth that makes her instantly relatable and engaging. She provides audiences with a bubbly performance of this self-aware woman coming to terms with ageing: she's not the spring chicken she once was and, amidst a painful separation, looks to reinvent herself. Witherspoon holds herself with such elegance and grace, and this is the frequently-amusing lead performance she (and we) deserves more often.
The supporting cast are a fine bunch too: Nat Wolff, Jon Rudnitsky and Pico Alexander are all endearing performers and while Teddy, George and Harry are defined largely by broad brush strokes, the characters are likeable and affable, handling the emotion and the humour effectively. Michael Sheen makes a handful of passing cameos to decent effect and Lola Flanery and Eden Grace Redfield deliver a pair of solid performances as Alice's two daughters. This really is Witherspoon's show through and through though and she makes the best use out of it, shining often.
Home Again is an obviously flawed piece of film-making that takes the safest route to its predictable destination - but it does so with warmth, charm and a tremendously likeable cast in tow, who elevate the film beyonds its clear limitations. It's the perfect slice of fluffy, frothy entertainment; humorous without being hilarious; good without being great; and sharp without being conceited. Reese Witherspoon is fantastic and I really hope this open Meyers-Shyer up to an abundance of opportunity in the near (and distant) future, because she proves herself to be a promising director and screenwriter - with more experience under her belt, she'll excel. I had an absolute blast with Home Again: it is 97 minutes well-spent I'd watch at home, again.
★★★★★★★☆☆☆
(7/10)
Summary: Home Again isn't the smartest, the funniest or the most original film to grace our screens - but it is an enjoyable slice of light, frothy entertainment in its purest form. It could be a new guilty pleasure for many.