Movie Review - Laggies

Laggies ** (out of 5) (R) Though your mileage may vary from my low rating, this attempt at a coming-of-age romantic dramedy triggers a couple of pet peeves. Keira Knightley stars as a twenty-something lass who hangs around with her high-school pals, and is engaged to the nice guy who seems to be her destined mate-by-momentum. There’s nothing wrong with him or her or them, but somehow the combination doesn’t quite satisfy our conflicted young woman. She winds up hanging with Chloe Grace Moretz and her teen pals after doing them a favor. Chloe’s house, with her divorced dad (Sam Rockwell) becomes a hideout while Keira uses a couple of cover stories to explain her absence from her pals and her presence in the unlikely sanctuary.

Both female leads have issues about who they are, what they want to become, and how the heck to get there. Chloe’s concerns and process are more understandable, given her adolescence. Keira’s a case of arrested development. The comedic aspects are on the mild side, while the star’s learning curve is annoyingly slow. That’s one of the nits to be picked. So many characters in these flicks take so long to get where we know they’ll wind up that I find myself not only losing interest in their fate, but hoping that even if they eventually stumble into their idea of True Love, they won’t pass their genes to another generation of hapless progeny.

It’s not inherently unreasonable for a girl of 15 and a woman pushing 30 to learn something important from each other via some shared experience. But Keira’s time with the teens borders on creepy, in this era of widespread concern over predators. Though this may count as a bit of a spoiler, her interactions with Rockwell adds to that dimension, as neither seems up to snuff for their age and position. Talented supporting players Jeff Garlin and (St. Louis native) Ellie Kemper are marginalized, while the main threesome meanders through their individual and collective issues. Moretz seems to have been Hollywood’s busiest actress for the past few years, and deservedly so. This gig won’t make her highlight reel. They all couldda used a better script. (11/7/14)