Life Partners (2014)

Number Rolled: 73

Movie Name/Year: Life Partners (2014)

Tagline: One guy can ruin the perfect relationship.

Genre: Romance

Length: 92 minutes

Rating: R

Production Companies: Haven Entertainment, Minerva Productions, Red Crown Productions, Sandia Media

Executive Producer: Daniel Crown, Anne O’Shea, Peter Touche

Director: Susanna Fogel

Writer: Susanna Fogel, Joni Lefkowitz

Actors: Leighton Meester, Gillian Jacobs, Gabourey Sidibe, Beth Dover, Abby Elliott, Kate McKinnon, Adam Brody, Mark Feuerstein, Elizabeth Ho, Greer Grammer, Jaime Reichner, Julie White

Paige and Sasha are best friends. They do absolutely everything together. Suddenly Paige begins dating a new man and things seem destined to change.

Selina’s Point of View:

There’s this myth in pop culture that says a person has to give up their closest friend in order to find love. I just don’t buy it and I think it’s crap.

I fell in love with John and our lives intertwined, but he always knew that my best friend was part of the deal. I had to make that clear from the start because my best friend is male and that puts a whole extra layer of stigma on the whole thing. Luckily, John’s best friend is a female, so he understood.

You know what a good significant other does? Exactly what we did. We befriended each other’s best friends. It erased the stigma for us, though there are plenty of people who still look at us through the haze of normality. Oh the comments we got when people learned my maid of honor was a guy and his best man was a girl. A few people even suggested we swap, but what was the point? The stuff John and Regina went through made them close, just as the shit Mike and I went through made us close. We’re family and we were determined not to ignore that just because people felt uncomfortable with something that wasn’t any of their business anyway.

It’s my unwavering belief that if a relationship cannot survive the strength of true friendship, then it’s not a relationship worth having.

I know, none of that actually explains anything to you about whether or not the movie is worth watching, but I felt it needed saying. My official advice: if a relationship requires you to give up all your friends, or even just your best friend, get out. Friends are important. They are your backbone. Never give them up.

Now for the film.

I thought Life Partners was kind of cute. I didn’t think it was very deep, but it wasn’t a complete waste of time.

In the end, the acting was fine and the story was fine. I found it to be right around the mediocre line.

Cat’s Point of View:

I liked this movie a lot more than I thought I would. I didn’t really have any preconceived notions or judgments going in. I’ve just been on a bit of a horror/thriller kick lately.

The dynamic between Leighton Meester (Country Strong, That's My Boy, The Judge) and Gillian Jacobs (Gardens of the Night, The Box, Visions) was believable and engaging. Their performances were solid, and that was the glue that held this film together.

I felt like I was right there on the couch with them, watching America's Next Top Model (2003-). (I actually love that show, and recognized the episodes they were watching. Don’t judge! We all have our guilty pleasures, right?)

Adam Brody (Jennifer's Body, Scream 4, Baggage Claim) also did well with his character as the adorkable boyfriend. There were points that the awkwardness between his character and Leighton Meester’s was practically palpable. An interesting piece of trivia to note is that Brody and Meester have been married since February, 2014.

I’m not exactly sure what was missing from this movie that would have pulled me in further. I found my thoughts drifting a bit.

Off and on during the film, I was debating with myself if Gillian Jacobs was the actress that plays Burgess on Chicago P.D. (2014-). She, of course, isn’t. Though, in this film she bore a striking resemblance to Marina Squerciati (Alter Egos, Night Moves, A Walk Among the Tombstones).

A random piece of 6-degrees trivia for you: Squerciati was in eight episodes of Gossip Girl (2007-2012), where Meester was one of the primary leads.

I think this film falls squarely into the ‘it was alright, I liked it’ category. I won’t be dashing out for the DVD.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 62%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 48%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 3.5/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 3/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 3/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 3/5

P.S. There’s a cute short scene after the very start of the credits.

Movie Trailer: