Directed by Melanie Thompson and written by lead actress Marisa Hood, a man (Mickey Schiff) gives his girlfriend two weeks notice before ending their relationship.
This film perfectly captures the hugely dramatic nature that relationships can inevitably have, especially towards their end. It’s an element that’s weaved throughout the entire story of course, but the opening is the cherry on top, to kick things off with such a classically dramatic score to then ultimately become an anti-climax strikes the ideal tone to start this film. Thompson’s style from that point forward similarly works to emphasise the story, it feels all about pushing the comedy. It’s nicely clean and simple to not distract from the performances but at the same time it has a nice edge of movement to it that adds a certain sharpness to the dialogue. The entire visual feels very real through the great location choice and set dressing but it doesn’t fall into the mundane, it still keeps a stylish air to it.
Credit goes to Marisa Hood for doing triple duty on this project as writer, producer and actor, particularly because the writing is absolutely brilliant. The pace is terrific, it’s constantly driving forward and the comedy doesn’t skip a beat, not to mention that the timing of it is right where it should be. It’s an example of a film that has a great concept, they nail down the comedy but the kicker is bringing through an extra level of detail; including the pet frog, the potential ferret, the cutesy name, the lost groupon, it all pushes it to the next level. Not to mention the great line of a relationship goal basically being making you “not want to kick a small child”. There’s nothing to fault with the script, it’s fun, hilarious and utterly satisfying to watch as it speeds through to the finish, while barely taking a breath.
Speaking of which, Hood also brings such a commitment, frustration and building anger to her character, that she must have been gasping for breath at the end of her sections of dialogue. She brings such a force to it, it’s blunt and pointed, throwing insults and witticisms left and right which are delivered flawlessly. Mickey Schiff provides the other side of the coin, his character is entirely the opposite, he has a blissful naivety which Schiff pulls off with a very convincing oblivious nature. The personality clash between the two of them and the chemistry versus chaos that they bring is really enjoyable to watch.
Two Weeks Notice is smart, funny and full of a relentless energy. The writing is superb, it’s so satisfying to watch, it moves at a wonderful pace and there’s never a dull moment. The direction is perfectly done to emphasise the dialogue focused story, it adds an edge of sharpness while keeping it grounded. Hood and Schiff make a fantastic pair, creating completely different characters that somehow still work together so well. This team has crafted an extremely memorable 9-minutes that you’ll undoubtedly want to watch again.
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