Failing Better Now

by Jack Diablo
As a single writer nearing 30, I have to say that this movie touched dangerously close to home. Failing Better Now is a sort-of romantic comedy with a hint of drama (a rom-dram?) that comes off like a more mature, slightly less melodramatic Garden State.
Mia is fired from her filing job on her 30th birthday by her eccentric boss. After a night of drunken debauchery and a failed hook-up, she escapes from her apartment as her landlord bangs on her door seeking retribution for the window she broke. Down on her luck, she convinces her younger but far more responsible (i.e. square) sister to let her cat-sit as she attempts to get her life together.
For a writer, this tends to mean the same old routine, and Mia is no exception. During one of many moments of forgetfulness / irresponsibility / selfishness, Mia allows her sister’s prized feline to escape her apartment thus sending our protagonist on a mission through her New York neighborhood to make things right. It doesn’t take long for her to find a companion / distraction in a local musician. Hijinks and “oh no!” moments ensue.
This movie accurately depicts the lifestyle of the aging creative yet to break out in their particular field. As I said, hits pretty close to home. Between the pressure from her mother to find a suitable mate, judgment from her picture-perfect sister, and friends up and leaving to pursue their own endeavors, Mia would be a tragic character if it weren’t for her own slightly self-destructive nature. While you never really feel sorry for her, you can’t help but sympathize (or in my case, empathize) with her plight.
The only problem I really had with the film was the opening credit sequence which although quite cool, gave off more of a TV show feel than a movie. Other than that, this movie was an entertaining watch, particularly for any city-dweller who has ever tried to make it on their own.