I can tell you all that I am shamelessly a sucker for a good romance movie. I like the warm fuzzy feeling I get when I watch them. The certainty of love for the entire hour and a half that I'm watching a movie is one of those feelings that reminds me why I love movies. So when it was recommended that I check out the romance "Comet", I was all for it.
"Comet" tells the story of the smart-ass and cynical Dell (Justin Long) and Kimberly, (Emmy Rossum) a quick witted and optimistic counter to Dell. The two meet while waiting in line to watch a meteor shower (ohhhhh, so that's why it's called "Comet") and the movie shows the ups and downs of an ultimately doomed relationship over the course of six years. The different memories that the movie follows are treated as different universes, yet director Sam Esmail let's the viewer decide for themselves whether or not this is one universe, or even our universe (particularly at the end when I'm almost positive I saw two suns in the sky, maybe it takes place on Tatooine?)
Justin Long's portrayal of Dell emits a strange "sherlockian" aura, as he makes quick and under-the-breath observations of people he meets. This at first seems out of place, but seems to work to the film's advantage as he has these interactions less and less over the course of his relationship with Kimberly. With such a smart and uptight character, it makes his emotional scenes that much more jarring when they come to fruition. It's a smart choice by Esmail to evoke this kind of emotion from this character.
Counteracting Long's performance, Emmy Rossum takes this role as a smart and capable woman, who has strong evolutions throughout the memories or "universes" of this movie. We see her at her highest and lowest points, and Rossum plays all of these different emotions and characteristics with crackling energy.
The film seems to be just shy of telling the story that it wants to. It tells a romantic story well enough, but the idea that these are different universes could easily go over the viewer's head were it not for a disclaimer at the beginning that told us so. It's an interesting and bold idea, and the witty dialogue and strong acting almost makes up for the slightly muddled and hard to follow plot. Director Sam Esmail makes great choices with his shots, and seems to have an obsession with off center shots of characters, save a big kiss at the end, which is perfectly centered. When a character is speaking, he's not afraid to hold the camera on them for a long time. He realizes that these are actors, so he lets them act.
Overall, I liked this little film. Justin Long is so damn likable in it, and I haven't see Emmy Rossum in a movie since "The Phantom of the Opera" so it was fun to watch her act again. In a world of sequels, reboots and franchises (have you heard about the live action "Power Rangers"?) it's nice to take a breather to get lost in a quick romance like "Comet".
"Comet" is available to stream on Netflix now...in this universe at least.
