Unlovable is the type of independent comedy that executive producers Mark and Jay Duplass are best known for; quirky, relatable characters and a storyline with a heart of gold.
Director Suzi Yoonessi gives us much to admire in this film as she tackles difficult issues of addiction and recovery with playfulness, and co-writer/star Charlene deGuzman gives us a relatable protagonist who destroys the Manic Pixie Dream Girl that indie films consistently rely on.
The film begins with Joy (deGuzman) trying to kill herself by drinking a bottle of cough syrup from a DIY bedazzled glass, and we quickly recognize that she is deeply unhappy with her life yet unable to help herself as she has no knowledge of how to cultivate her own happiness. She is a love and sex addict who lashes out when she does not feel loved by her boyfriend, Ben (Paul James), by binge drinking and indulging in random hook-ups. After cheating on Ben, he dumps her and tells her to “get help.” Joy begins a 12-step program where she meets Maddie (Melissa Leo) and is in awe of her progress and journey. After getting denied to be Maddie’s sponsee and getting ignored by Ben, her life quickly spirals towards rock bottom. She wakes up the next day to a harsh reality, finding that she was the main sexual attraction at a bachelor party (which she doesn’t remember), has lost her job on a children’s TV show after another missed called time, and is being kicked out of her apartment all within the same day.
The alluring charm of Unlovable is how it packages dark topics into a disarmingly light presentation. Written by Charlene deGuzman, Mark Duplass, and Sarah Adina Smith, the film is loosely based on deGuzman’s real-life experience in a 12-step program for sex and love addiction. The stakes of Joy’s troubles are plain to see and quite raw in deGuzman’s performance, which can be attributed to her closeness to the material. Rather than needing someone to fix her, which is a classic trope in romantic comedies, deGuzman lays bare her deeply troubled, desperately dependent soul as she struggles to take back her life. Even better is that deGuzman brilliantly pulls this off, yet remains amusing even when it’s obvious that she’s attempting to provoke members of her audience with the material.
Ultimately, Maddie recognizes Joy’s pain and offers to be her sponsor. Maddie gives her temporary living arrangements in the guesthouse behind the home of her grandmother (Ellen Greer) as Joy tries to accomplish 30 days of sobriety. Maddie gives Joy two rules while living in the guesthouse: 1) She must go 30 days without alcohol or sexual activity, and 2) she can’t interact with her brother Jim (John Hawkes), an emotionally aloof yet vulnerable musician who serves as their grandmother’s caregiver.
Rather than needing someone to fix her, which is a classic trope in romantic comedies, deGuzman lays bare her deeply troubled, desperately needy soul as she struggles to take back her life.
Throughout the film, Joy and Jim cultivate a healing friendship through their love for music. It would have been easy to let the film become one where they become lovers, or she becomes his muse, and by devoting herself to his needs he betters himself and she finds that being with him “cures” her. Thankfully, this movie is so much better than that, their relationship does not take the “only-a man-can-save-her route.” Rather, Unlovable focuses on how Joy continuously tries to reinvent herself to varying levels of success and failure. Each blunder on her road to recovery is either hilarious or heartbreaking, but deGuzman’s performance illuminates how recovery is actually a combination of both.
The development of their friendship is the establishment of a mutual support system, something both of these broken souls desperately need. Hawkes, who wrote all of the film’s original songs, delivers a masterful give-and-take with deGuzman as they build their friendship. Both push each other to become better and find that music is their common language and lifeline. In one instance, Joy is feeling hopeless and sadden by her struggle in recovery, and before they are going to perform a song Jim asks what’s bothering her. Rather than answering, she strikes the drum set and captioning appears on the bottom of the screen. Jim replies by playing his guitar and his response then appears. They have their entire conversation in music, and then they begin to play their song. deGuzman and Hawkes expertly show us how friendship can save us during the darkest moments. Yoonessi’s direction is strong at this moment and gives us the gift of seeing how, even when we are in the deepest depths of our struggle, we can find someone who will listen, be there, and support us.
Unlovable is a fresh spin on the classic recovery narrative, and deGuzman’s voice adds honesty and sincerity that sets it far apart from others in the same vein. Joy’s choices are more often than not heartbreaking, but the film recognizes that easy fixes aren’t possible nor sustainable. I appreciate that Unlovable gives us a woman who is realistically flawed whom we root for in the midst of her self-destructive tendencies. You will enjoy the tender nature of Joy and Jim’s friendship and will cheer for both on their journey of self-discovery as they battle the demons they want to defeat once and for all.
80 minutes. ‘Unlovable’ is not yet rated. Opened Friday, November 2nd at Arena Cinelounge Sunset and available on Amazon Prime Video.
