Say When
Directed by Lynn Shelton
Starring Keira Knightley, Chloë Grace Moretz and Sam Rockwell
In UK Cinemas November 7th, 2014
by Laura Patricia Jones
There’s the teen movie and then there’s the midlife crisis movie. What happens when some genius decides to mix the two? Think skinny Bridget Jones meets The Breakfast Club and you might just get the mish-mash cocktail that is Say When.
Starring the delectable duo of Keira Knightley and Chloë Grace Moretz, Say When is a story of growing up but not in a most conventional way, the teenage rite of passage shaken up with the late twenties acceptance of adulthood, which though comical in its approach is actually quite apt in response to the current trend of ‘generation x’ – mid/late twenties – no job , no career prospect, incredibly well educated but still dependent on parents in contrast to the generations prior who practically have grandchildren by now. We can all draw comparisons to Megan (Knightley) in Say When.
Megan is 28 going on 14. Whilst her oldest friends are settling down and starting families, Megan prefers to be the bridesmaid to the bride, the godmother to the actual mother. When her boyfriend Anthony proposes to her, Megan runs away from grown up life for a while and hides out with her new friend, high school student, Annika (Moretz). There follows a week of reliving the ups and downs of teenage life, though sometimes it’s hard to tell who the teenager is. Megan eventually finds that she must finally grow up and take responsibility when she becomes attracted to Annika’s dad Craig (Rockwell).
The film deals with the standard teen issues of fitting in, prom and parental divorce – what else could you want for a Friday night in? But this aside, it is certainly a comedic journey which will have you laughing and cringing in places you wouldn’t think possible.
As a 27-year-old women on the edge, with everyone around me moving up the ladders to promotions and parenthood while I can’t keep down a stable job while I struggle to eat anything that isn’t cheese based, I could certainly strike a chord with Say When. But Megan’s privileged upbringing , supportive friends, Knightley style figure and reliable fit boyfriend definitely make it difficult to feel sorry for the film’s protagonist. Moretz’ character however is a pitch perfect portrayal of the stereotypical parent torn angsty teen. Perfect easy watching for a DVD and pizza night in when you’re not looking for something too high brow or thought-provoking.
