Written and directed by leading actresses Lucy Sandler and Mechi Lakatos, after discovering they’re dating the same man, a recovering co-dependent living with her mother and a socially awkward babysitter fumble their way through a series of misguided schemes, enlisting a parade of eccentric and unqualified accomplices in a half-baked mission to get revenge. Also starring: Michelle Thompson, Kate Heffernan, Rachel Brunner, Brooke Smith, Eli Powers, Maleah Goldberg and Matilda G. Paulin.
This debut feature from Lucy Sandler and Mechi Lakatos is a fully improvised absurdist comedy, so right off the bat you have to admire these two for the achievement that improvising a 100-minute feature certainly is. It may not be to everyone’s tastes, it’s a very particular sense of humour, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Danny is My Boyfriend impressively feels like it was entirely written as it’s so consistent all throughout the film. The tone and comedic timing are extremely reliable, they create this unique blend of madcap meets mumblecore.
When that’s then topped with a style that feels pulled directly out of the era of The O.C., The Hills and Garden State, it’s a surprisingly charming mix. There’s something about that scaled back quality to the aesthetic and its home-video-esque feel that’s disarmingly simple, and it fits perfectly with the style of the characters. Lucy and Mechi (the characters, not the filmmakers) are somewhere between Lloyd and Harry from Dumb and Dumber and Hannah and Marnie from Girls. They’re sweetly in denial, fairly naïve and stridently living within their little bubble.
As Danny is My Boyfriend progresses, it slowly becomes apparent what this story truly is, on first impression it’s a lowkey crazy adventure but delve a little deeper and it becomes a story of learning to gain self-respect and boundaries. Lucy Sandler and Mechi Lakatos make for an unusual but entertaining duo, you never truly see those gears grinding to keep the gags going, they feel natural and relaxed, outside of the anxiety of their characters of course. Watching their friendship develop is unexpectedly touching.
Danny is My Boyfriend is somehow both an understated and totally bonkers comedy. The style is grounded and feels nostalgic for 2000s California. It’s a very original adventure, one that has a surprisingly big heart hiding beneath its silliness. Its characters are sweetly clumsy and clueless, and genuinely if you took a shot every time someone said the title of the film, you’d be hammered by the end of it, which is always a fun touch. It does run quite long for this kind of comedy and considering its pacing is quite slow, that does hinder things. Regardless, it’s a great concept, which is well executed, and adding Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson over the end credits was the cherry on top.
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