Together

For some reason, Hollywood doesn’t seem to be making as many romantic comedies or dramas anymore. The reasons behind this are debatable, but the era in which Pretty Woman and When Harry Met Sally roamed the earth seems distant. Have no fear, however, because real-life married couple Alison Brie and Dave Franco have arrived to save the day with their tribute to romantic closeness, Together. I mean, sure, writer/director Michael Shanks’ film is an effective body horror flick about a couple who have relationship problems before their gory predicament becomes apparent, but beggars can’t be choosers, right? Your entertaining if traumatic date night movie has arrived.

Millie (Alison Brie) has been waiting a long time for her boyfriend Tim (Dave Franco) to fully commit to their relationship, but for many reasons it hasn’t quite worked out. When they move to the countryside for her to accept a teaching job, she hopes that they’ll solidify as a couple, although musician Tim hasn’t quite given up his dreams of stardom. One day while hiking they get caught in a rainstorm and fall into a spooky cave with a pool inside. They spend the night there and wake to find their legs sticking together. They extricate themselves from the cave and each other, but afterwards Tim begins to find himself physically drawn to Millie, literally feeling pulled toward her. He tries to explain to Millie that something very strange is happening, but she doesn’t believe him. She gets upset and tries to create distance between them, thinking that Tim is losing his mind. Unfortunately, he isn’t, which Millie learns to her horror as she too begins to feel the irresistible pull between them.

Brie is terrific as the supportive but frustrated Millie, whose belief that she’s the adult in the relationship blinds her to what is actually happening. She’s especially good in a scene in which she’s chosen to trust someone with her feelings but discovers that she chose poorly, running the gamut of emotions as her embarrassed confessions turn from confusion to frantic self-defense. Franco gives his best performance to date as Tim, a guy floundering in regular life that suddenly has to deal with an insane situation. He exudes disappointment in himself but then has to attempt to step up as he and Millie’s lives are threatened. Damon Herriman is very good in a smaller role as one of the teachers at Millie’s new school, delivering exposition but bringing his own particular charm to it.

Shanks’ direction creates a palpable sense of claustrophobic unease, especially through his use of sound, which often switches to heightened breathing noises to put the audience in the panicked headspace of the lead characters. He does the visual equivalent to that by shaking or moving the camera to represent the physical intensity of what Millie and Tim are experiencing. Some of the CG effects in the latter half of the film are less than convincing, but the strength of the acting and originality of the situation pull us along anyway.

Shanks’ dialogue is sharp enough to draw blood at times, including this comment from a disappointed friend of Tim’s regarding his codependence with Millie: “When I die, I don’t want someone else’s life flashing before my eyes.” When Millie asks Tim to tell her he wants her, he replies, “I need you,” because at that point desire has little to do with it. The story and the leads are so likeable that we’re mostly willing to ignore the lack of explanation about why any of this is happening. There is some attempt at backstory, but it’s thin and doesn’t make consistent sense. I could live with that, but the final shot of the film is almost a punchline and serves to mute whatever emotional stakes the story has raised to that point.

Overall I enjoyed Together, with its great basic concept and charismatic performances, but its story/logic gaps and goofy final shot kept its quality level at good rather than great. Also, a warning if you’re an animal lover (as I am), the first few minutes of the movie may be difficult to watch.