[If you missed Stuff to Watch at Home During a Pandemic - Part 3, about the classic Marseille Trilogy of Marcel Pagnol, it is available HERE.]
One of the many unfortunate effects of the Covid-19 shut-down is the fact that a lot of very good films and onscreen performances have been buried, what with the closure of virtually all movie theaters and thus pretty much all publicity for Spring movie releases. While some big budget productions are simply being held back in the hope that they can be rescheduled for release later in the year, others are sent into a sort of cinematic limbo, bardo, or other place of indeterminate suspension to await their fate: perhaps to one day emerge into the light of day – or perhaps not. The backers of a number of pictures, however, have simply thrown in the towel and negotiated direct to video deals to get their product out into the world, hoping it may get noticed or, at a minimum, recoup their investment. Such is the case with Standing Up, Falling Down, a picture that definitely deserves to get noticed.
I initially saw this movie when it premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, and for me, it was one of the highlights. It spent the rest of the year touring around various other festivals trying to build a little buzz, picking up a couple of awards along the way. After a final warm-up at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in early January, Standing Up, Falling Down was scheduled to be released commercially at the end of February. Then came the pandemic - obviously bad news for a small budget, little movie
The good news for us, on the other hand, is that this funny, wise, warmhearted comedy is available on most streaming services not named Netflix … and for free on the library-affiliated Hoopla streaming site
To be honest, Standing Up, Falling Down is not the greatest title; it’s a play on the fact that the protagonist is a struggling stand-up comic and that excess drinking as a coping mechanism figures significantly in the story. On the other hand, even without seeing this movie I’m sure you will agree that it’s an improvement over the original working title “We Are Unsatisfied”. But never judge a book by the cover, as the saying goes.
The movie is a remarkably deft directorial debut for Mark Ratner, heretofore primarily known as a producer; and an auspicious star turn for actor Ben Schwartz (“Jean-Ralphio” on Parks and Recreation) in his first feature-film leading role. Schwartz is aided in no small degree by an outstanding supporting performance by Billy Crystal – in a return to form for a very funny actor, who really hasn’t been featured in a narrative movie since Analyze This in 1999 and its sequel Analyze That (2002), in which Crystal co-starred with Robert DeNiro. No one knows how the Academy Awards will deal with the pandemic-induced theater shutdown and its clear effect on awards eligibility for small budget movies like Standing Up, Falling Down. Technicalities aside, Crystal’s performance is so good, so funny and affecting, that it ought to be a strong candidate for the best supporting actor award.
As to story, here is what you need to know: Schwartz plays Scott, a thirty-year-old guy who, having left his Long Island hometown to pursue stand-up fame and fortune in L.A., is returning home, after three years of futility and growing malaise, to regroup. Although he’s far less confident than when he departed, Scott still has some hopes of making it in comedy, but he’s met with no encouragement from his parents, who suggest that since his little “experiment” has failed, it’s time to get a “real” job – or from his acerbic, antagonistic sister, Megan (a perfect Grace Gummer), who reminds Scott that she always knew he was a loser. He hesitates to show himself to the buddies that he largely abandoned when he abruptly took off. In any event, many of them have moved on into their “adult” lives, getting married, starting families and all that. But he still nurtures the fantasy of reuniting with Becky, though she, too, has now married someone else.
Schwartz, portraying Scotty with the appropriately keen sense of existential angst, is in nearly every scene; and he is a convincing, engaging, empathy inducing and, at the same time, wryly funny protagonist. When he first bumps into Marty (Crystal) in a bar, early on, things begin to change. It's a funny, bromantic version of “meet cute” - in the men’s bathroom, where both guys need to take a whiz. Marty is an alcoholic dermatologist - a funny concept already - who is twice Scotty’s age, with a trove of life experience and hard-bought wisdom, a terribly screwed up personal life, oodles of charm (especially when lubricated) and a terrific, unbound wit. He’s also a mensch. He becomes Scotty’s best friend and vice versa.The result is a motion picture that's quite comical, at times hilarious, and at the same time touching and schmaltzily sage. Standing Up, Falling Down has a tone and a blend of humor and humanity not unlike 2017's delightful/serious The Big Sick - even though the story and the characters are totally different. Made on a budget of under $1 million and shot in just three days , this one is a winner – an appealing, uncrazy situational comedy that really works.
1 hour 31 minutes.
Grade: B+/A-
Streaming free to subscribers of Hoopla, and available to rent on Amazon, iTunes, GooglePlay and most other streaming services.
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