In Chasing Summer, Iliza Shlesinger unpacks a heartfelt millennial love letter to Texas, growing up and the disasters of life.
Written by Shlesinger and directed by Josephine Decker, the comedian stars as fortysomething aid worker Jamie, who, after getting abruptly and publicly dumped, retreats back to her hometown to spend a few months with her parents (Megan Mullally and Jeff Perry) until her next relief mission.
Being home for the first time in 20 years quickly stirs up emotions about her ex-boyfriend Chase (Tom Welling) and former friends, whom she hasn’t spoken to since he cheated on her and started a nasty rumor that drove her away. But while sparking an unexpected fling with local twentysomething Colby (Garrett Wareing), she begins to open herself up to the people she ran away from, learning that not everything about her past was what she thought.
While the film does a good job of fleshing out these characters’ histories and relationships with one another, one inevitable “twist” was easy to predict by the second act but still quite satisfying.
Still, for anyone who escaped a small town, there’s plenty to relate to in this messy dramedy, driven by nostalgia and the emotional weight of going home.
Shlesinger balances the drama and comedy of the film, while Mullally provides constant laughs with her Southern drawl and absurd motherly criticisms of her daughter. But their dynamic still holds the heartfelt care and dependability that only a mom could provide.
“The only disaster that needs tending to is your personal life,” Mullally quips early in the movie as Layanne, driving home the message of the film.
Jamie and her recovering-addict sister Marissa (Cassidy Freeman) have the quintessential love/hate sibling relationship. They have some old issues to hammer out, which happens while Jamie provides much-needed repairs at the bowling alley Marissa owns and takes young employee Harper (Lola Tung) under her wing. The trio has great comedic chemistry, with Marissa constantly exchanging witty barbs with Jamie and barking orders at Harper, while the latter two bond over their mutual messiness.
Although Shlesinger’s chemistry with Wareing might leave something to be desired during their early dialogue, the pair has no shortage of passion as they put their all into a handful of animalistic sex scenes, which could be described as both steamy and realistic. But her connection with Welling certainly suggests that of two people with a complicated past.
Following multiple stand-up specials and comedic roles, Chasing Summer gives Shlesinger the space to flex more dramatic muscle, while undoubtedly processing some of her own coming-of-age healing moments on the page.
Producers are Rob Guillermo, Ray Maiello, Nihaar Sinha, Houston King, Sam Pressman, Paula Paizes and Shlesinger, with executive producers Decker, Bianca Rusu, Jack Masterson, Andre Eanes, Rhodes McKee, Louis Krubich, Christopher Schwarzenegger and Dan Fried.
Title: Chasing Summer
Festival: Sundance (Premieres)
Director: Josephine Decker
Screenwriter: Iliza Shlesinger
Cast: Iliza Shlesinger, Garrett Wareing, Lola Tung, Cassidy Freeman, Tom Welling, Megan Mullally
Sales agent: Moontower Productions
Running time: 1 hr 31 min
English (US) ·