Director: Alex Ross Perry

Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Elizabeth Ross & Jonathan Pryce

Running Time: 108 mins

Release date: 21 Oct, 2014 on iTunes

Worldwide Gross: $91,700

 

 

 

 

Basic Plot:

 

Listen Up Philip centers around the self-obsessed, malcontent Philip awaiting the release of his sophomore novel. He is an angry and destructive man, success having brought him no lasting satisfaction. With his New York City residence and longtime photographer girlfriend Ashley (Elizabeth Moss) crowding his ability to be concerned with only himself, Philip seeks peace with Ike, an older, more seasoned writer. Ike (Jonathan Pryce) invites Philip to his second home in the countryside where Philip seeks a respite of self. Listen Up Philip is a witty, dramatic, novel-like journey into Philip’s interior life as he destroys nearly all of his relationships, a study of a fully-realized narcissism.

 

Clock Watching? 19/20

 

I was totally immersed in Alex Ross Perry’s vision from the opening scene as a narrator introduces Philip. Despite his being a total asshole, I felt sympathy for him because he’s just a few degrees away from what any human may be at their most honest. And as a lover of both books and film, I was hooked by its hyper-aware, witty dialogue and novel-like structure.

 

Oscar Performances? 17/20

 

All of his previous roles have prepared Jason Schwartzman for Philip. He shines as he rattles off Philip’s honest, hilarious, self-absorbed musings, and he channels relatability in such a nuanced way that I eventually felt sorry for him. But the best performance comes from Elizabeth Moss as Philip’s girlfriend. The control she has over her face to communicate the sadness and heartbreak as her relationship with Philip decays is heartbreaking.

 

Lights, Camera, Direction? 17/20

 

Perry (The Color Wheel, 2001) has a fluid, hand-held style (think Godard or Altman) which made me feel as if I’d been living with these characters for years. Both interior and intimate, it navigates a small social circle in the big, but almost unseen New York City and its outlying country-sides. Shaky close-ups hit home characters’ emotional claustrophobia and instability. But the warm cinematography evokes sympathy for each character despite their brokenness and often rampant self-absorption.

 

Tell a Friend? 15/20

 

Who wants to watch an egocentric, pretentious jerk ruin all his relationships and become a shell of a human? Not many people, but this film is so honestly hilarious and warmly conceived, it’s worth sitting with them for a while.

 

Again? 20/20

 

Well, I’ve already watched it twice. Listen Up Philip’s structure as a filmic novella begs for extra watches just to scratch its surface. It’s like a good book that I will pick up occasionally throughout the year, so I can laugh, cry, and feel with these characters again and again.

 

Total: 88%

 

Listen Up Philip is a brilliantly vicious blend of the literary and cinematic, a place where I found a bit of myself in each person’s personal journey, even the narcissists.

 

by Colin Stacy