Say When
Starring: Keira Knightley, Chloe Grace Moretz, Sam Rockwell
Director: Lynn Shelton
Rating: 3.5/5
Say When has hit the big screen this weekend and sees Lynn Shelton back in the director's chair, as she teams up with Keira Knightley & Chloe Grace Moretz for the first time.
Shelton has been behind films such as Humpday and Your Sister's Keeper in recent years, and this is her second movie of 2014: Touchy Feely was released at the beginning of the year.
Having spent her twenties comfortably inert, 28 year old Megan (Knightley) reaches a crisis when she finds herself squarely in adulthood with no career prospects, no particular motivation to pursue any and no one to relate to, including her high school boyfriend (Mark Webber).
When he proposes, Megan panics and given an opportunity to escape - at least temporarily - she hides out in the home of her new friend, 16-year-old Annika (Moretz) and Annika’s world-weary single dad (Rockwell).
Ok, so this is a movie won't re-define the chick-flick genre, but it is a charming and sweet movie about self-discovery that I enjoyed enormously.
Say When is one of the most movies that you really can just kick back and enjoy - it helps when you have talent such as Knightley, Moretz, and Rockwell on good form.
It is the performances of the three central characters and the relationship between them that really will keep audiences engaged - all of them are trying to discover who they are and where they really fit in the world.
Of course, you immediately know where this movie is going and how it is going to end, but that doesn’t mean that you don't enjoy the ride as the wit and humour really does help being this story and script alive.
Knightley has mixed and matched her roles this year, and she shows again that she is comfortable in a comedy role - she really does give a great central performance as a young woman who is well and truly list.
Knightley and Moretz build a terrific central relationship during the film, and they really do becoming a very funny and convincing team.
Say When perhaps doesn't quite explore the themes of the film as deeply or as differently as it could have, but it is still a fun ride with some great central performances that keep the film lively and fun.
Shelton hasn't done anything fancy with her direction, she has kept is simple and focused on the story, the characters, and the actors. It really is a very enjoyable watch.
Say When is out now.