Landline - A Movie Review

You be the lookout, and I’ll eat this bagel.

Landline is a 2017 film that takes place in 1990s New York. Two sisters suspect their father is having an affair. In their spying and discovery of family secrets, the girls also work out personal issues with their relationships

I was about to shut off Landline for its juvenile nature, but one needs to see past this, and the film reflects a story about a family discovering their faults and becoming closer. Not all films are sophisticated learning lessons, but they need to take unique turns in their story approach.

What would we do without the magnificent Jenny Slate? She is typecast in the same role as an immature adult-teenager who is always trying to get her life together. Dana is afraid of commitment and how love makes her feel. Slate always finds different techniques to work with. She is so funny and comes up with hilarious dialogue.

Slate and Abby Quinn (Ali) looked like they had a fantastic time as two sisters who are always talking about drama. They made believable sisters and had fun in their scenes. I was close to labeling Ali as a typical teen, but there is so much more, and she grows in the story. To my surprise, I learned this was Quinn’s film debut! She is a natural.

Edie Falco doesn’t play her role as a typical mother either. Since she was a teenager, Pat is always one step ahead of her daughters. The family created a realistic dynamic. More credits include Jay Duplass, John Turturro, Finn Wittrock, and Ali Ahn.

Gillian Robespierre based Landline on her own real-life experience with divorce in her family. To avoid making it a downhearted tone, Robespierre and co-writer Elisabeth Holm wanted to bring a comedy angle to it.

Landline recognizes a subject that’s been seen in most films, but explores it more in a positive light. Quinn, who related to the subject, found the story’s portrayal appealing. She found being in the film therapeutic.

They also decided to set the story in the 90s, the period when they grew up. The actual time period is said to be 1995, the year I was born! Robespierre and Holm decided on a 90s setting because it was before texting and social media existed, so the story paced differently.

With a 90s setting, that also meant finding 90s costumes. Costume designer Liz Vastola watched episodes of Seinfeld to get inspiration for style design. Robespierre and Holm also ‘borrowed’ clothes from their mother’s wardrobe.

This film reminded me of Nicole Holecener’s film, Please Give, only Landline is an unsophisticated version. The opening scene immediately instills that for audiences with Dana and Ben sharing an intimate moment by a tree. I was giving the film a half hour before turning it off, and it got better.

Relationships are an important theme in Landline. Love is messy. Romance goes two ways; either it works, or you’ll have a happily ever after. It’s okay to feel scared, but give new horizons a try. The most important thing is that you’ll be okay with whatever happens.

The humor is raunchy, and I didn’t care for the language. The story also felt disjointed in what story it was showcasing.

You need to look beyond the film’s raunchy comedy to see the story at play. Give Landline a chance, especially after the opening. My grandmother wasn’t fond of the movie, but I saw past the raunchy themes at the message behind it. Landline may be the film that families need right now.