The latest independent film from husband and wife filmmaking-duo Lawrence Michael Levine and Sophia Takal, Wild Canaries, is a screwball comedy that tackles murder, love, and the complicated reality of relationships. Barri (Takal) and Noah (Levine) are newly engaged thirty-somethings and barely getting by in their small Brooklyn apartment that they share with Barri’s best friend Jean (Alia Shawkat). When their elderly neighbor Sylvia suddenly dies, Barri is convinced that something’s fishy about the situation and that foul play was involved. Noah, on the other hand, dissuades Barri’s outrageous claims that their neighbor was murdered, but is soon persuaded that there really is more going on than meets the eye. Barri enlists the help of Noah and Jean and together, they set out to find the killer and expose this death for what it really is: murder.

While the synopsis makes for a nice visual, unfortunately, the film fails in comparison (I’d say this is a case of the trailer outperforming the final film). The biggest flaw is the lack of real risk that Levine, who is also credited as the screenwriter, gives his characters. Barri acts like Lena Dunham attempting to impersonate Nancy Drew while looking like Inspector Gadget, risking her life, her relationship, and her friend’s job, and for what– the chance to say “I told you so?” Barri breaks into various apartments of people she suspects killed Sylvia, and, of course, they all come home while she is stuck inside, a gag used one too many times, which inadvertently makes the character appear dim rather than heroic.

Not only do these plot points not seem very flushed out, we lose sight of main point of movie; Are we observing New Yorkers figuring out their love life, or are we trying to catch a murderer?

While there are funny moments, mostly coming from Levine and Shawkat’s performances, most of the film is lackluster, especially the relationships between the characters. Jean, an outed lesbian, suddenly shows feelings for Barri, who doesn’t exactly stop their random coffee house kiss. Noah’s co-worker is an old girlfriend, also turned lesbian, who makes out with Noah while working late one night. Neither one seems to feel bad about it, and then we cut to the next scene. No real resolution there. Not only do these plot points not seem very flushed out, we lose sight of the main point of the movie; Are we observing New Yorkers figuring out their love life, or are we trying to catch a murderer? It definitely didn’t help that the characters had to literally explain the ending rather than just showing it. Either Levine and the production ran out of time, money, or this was an artistic choice that is another side-effect of a poorly written script.

For those looking for a light comedy, however, Wild Canaries could be your cup of tea. The story is light and the characters are engaging, although at times teetering the line between goofy and annoying. The style of the film is edgy, scenes are cut between quickly and it doesn’t drag.  While Levine and Takal may not be familiar faces, they both have celebrity doppelgängers that are quite funny. Sophia Takal is a mirror image of Anna Kendrick, even down to her speech patterns and cute-sy mannerisms. Lawrence Michael Levine could be Mark Duplass’ twin brother, even his interpretation of the mumble core genre seem to mimic Duplass. 

Wild Canaries made the festival run last year and found distribution through Sundance Selects, which is by all means a great achievement. I really wanted to like this film– all in all, it seemed like the quintessential independent movie. Not that Wild Canaries was bad, but I was left disappointed. I would never want to discourage anyone from expressing themselves creatively, as I’m sure Levine and Takal both worked on this film for years. Collectively as the screenwriter, producer, director, and actor, I can only imagine the pressure they were both under and the pride they must feel upon its’ completion. However, the most important aspect of a film, any film, is a good script, and, unfortunately, that is this film’s weakest link.