Two for Two

We hand out our second A in a row, and the third in as many weeks; can you sense our year-end list beginning to come together?

LISTEN UP PHILIP (A) - This is a film about an asshole. Make that two of them. They're writers. So, no surprise there. And it's about the women -- daughters, girlfriends -- who endure them.

Alex Ross Perry scored big in 2011 with his acerbic sibling road movie "The Color Wheel." For a followup, Perry unleashes a scathing profile of an pompous and prickish young writer, who ditches his girlfriend to be mentored by an equally insufferable Phillip Roth-type novelist. Jason Schwartzman and Jonathan Pryce comfortably slip into those roles of young and old.

This is an odd, refreshing celebration of arrogance, petulance and the indulgence of the male artist. Old Ike Zimmerman (Pryce) invites young Philip (Schwartzman), who is about to drop a second novel, to his country house, where peace and quiet best serve a writer. Philip has been grinding on the last nerve of his girlfriend anyway, so he leaves her in the city and heads off to his retreat, which comes with a teaching gig at a stuffy private college. 

About halfway through, we leave Philip for a while and spend time with his estranged ex, Ashley, a mess of frustration and contradictions played smartly by Elisabeth Moss ("Mad Men"). It's a bold move by Perry to ditch Philip, though most Moss fans would consider it a no-brainer. Her Ashley is no cliched rom-com queen on the rebound or typical Brooklyn brat. When Philip does return at one point, we're reminded of the wonder that is Moss's face -- in a matter of seconds, she cycles through a series of emotions after that brief, tense reunion.

"Listen Up Philip" has the heart and soul of classic '70s American cinema. It's not a stretch to compare this to the works of Cassavetes or Altman (this shares an attitude with "The Long Goodbye" with Elliott Gould). And Perry owes an obvious debt to Woody Allen's "Annie Hall," whose echoes we hear throughout. Yet it feels wholly of this era, as well. Perry, working with "Color Wheel" cinematographer Sean Price Williams," gives this a lived-in feeling.

Meantime, the lines dart around artfully, like a modern Mumblecore Philip Marlowe novel. At one point Ike greets Philip with writerly banter:

"You are selfish and unsentimental!"
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
"On the contrary!" 

Perry and Schwartzman even make academic office hours funny. Yet this isn't a flippant, throwaway comedy. Philip meets Ike's daughter, Melanie (Krysten Ritter, who was Jane in "Breaking Bad"), at the country house, and they have a sibling-like flirtation. He also woos a French woman on the faculty. Neither relationship goes where you think it will. Philip also gets roped into Ike's decadent indulgences with Ike's pal and a couple of good-time girls, in a sad little party that tips its brim to "Husbands."

All in all, Perry (writing solo here) has crafted a powerful, mature narrative. It's a movie stuffed with subtle emotion, plot twists and biting one-liners. It's not predictable. It leads you eagerly to its somewhat bitter finish line. And it is ably led by an A-list of talented character actors.

It's easy to dismiss Schwartzman as a silly man-child who plays the go-to goofball in Wes Anderson movies. But the man has many layers, as he shows here and in his delightful HBO series "Bored to Death." He nimbly mixes the verbal with the physical. (A quick shot of him starting a lawn mower  here is laugh-out-loud funny.) He's inherently appealing, like Zach Galifianakis, only with an elitist smirk and an impish gleam in his eye.

Schwartzman and Perry absolutely click in "Listen Up Philip." The women in the film, while sometimes treated as props (that's the dickish point, after all), play off of Schwartzman and Pryce well, not only taking their guff but returning it as well. It's an impressive ensemble film.

BONUS TRACK
One of the joys of "Listen Up Philip" is the attention to detail in the jacket covers of Ike Zimmerman's books. Ike is a stand-in for Philip Roth, and Perry, along with artist Teddy Blanks, toss out some savory titles and graphic designs. Titles include "Madness & Women" and "The Cinch (A Very Easy Novel)."

Slate magazine has some samples, along with a Q&A with Perry and Blanks. You can find that here.