He dresses impeccably in Brooklyn thrift store-salvaged GQ-ready ensembles, pairing flannel pullovers with sherpa jackets featuring obscure karate dojo logos. If there was a manic pixie dream man, Charlie would be it. His father passed away years ago, and his mother (Melissa Leo) raised him and his brother by herself. Everything matters until nothing does.Ĭharlie, meanwhile, bonds with June over the loss of a parent. Yes, this rom-com has a murder-suicide reference. The last time a domestic violence murder-suicide was paired with this much hooking up was in Season 1 of “Temptation Island” (it’s on Peacock, watch it ASAP.) And while June opening up to Charlie could have been an emotional moment, less than 12 hours later she’s back biking with him through the forest and musing over the romanticism of Instagram-friendly motels. June’s Alzheimer’s-addled grandfather dies in a nursing home (cue up some more Cuomo soundbites, perhaps?), and she reveals to Charlie that her grandpa raised her after her parents died in a murder-suicide. But nope, here is yet another voiceover by former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo talking about PPE when June is only really focused on BDE. June resorts to first banging a bottle of white wine against a wall to uncork it (…OK…) and then, inevitably, banging Charlie himself. The small classic rom-com details like a large and extensively furnished home only having one bathroom and one bedroom make for an already claustrophobic pandemic premise feel even closer: June and Charlie aren’t necessarily worried about getting COVID from one another - although Charlie at one point adorably sews homemade masks for both him and June - but rather the concern is that their “we may die tomorrow anyway” attitude will lead to a romance rooted in both of them taking advantage of each other being in vulnerable states. Ugh, June’s boyfriend John was pressuring her to become a vegan, and who really sticks to their diet goals during a pandemic?! Charlie is devoted to having Indiana-born career woman June take a pause and return to her beer-drinking, Big Mac-eating authentic self. June starts crying when she sees a deer on the drive to Hudson, and Charlie’s career is rooted in “fixing things,” such as June’s hardened heart. The whole “world’s ending” backdrop is where “Alone Together” fumbles, and it’s quite a fumble indeed. Sure, this could just be our projection that “Alone Together” quietly debuts the same summer as “Top Gun: Maverick” and the “M:I 7” trailer, but Holmes seems happiest writing, directing, and producing, while also starring as the lead. (And yes, we judge films based on font.) But seeing Holmes onscreen again on her own terms has a “you go, girl” sense of empowerment. The opening of Holmes’ sophomore directorial effort “Alone Together” makes for a stomach-gripping drag: A cover of “Blue Moon” plays as a Lifetime-type font rolls out the credits. Upon arriving at the rental, June is confronted by Charlie (Jim Sturgess), who apparently double-booked the same French chateau-inspired cottage. June travels upstate to Hudson, NY to camp out at an Airbnb which John booked John, however, opts to stay behind in New York City to care for his parents. “Alone Together” centers on June (Holmes), a restaurant critic who is suddenly out of a job and on a relationship hiatus with her boyfriend John (Derek Luke, with whom Holmes is set to work again on another film, “Rare Objects”) starting Mawhen Manhattan is at a standstill and COVID-19 leads to a city-wide exodus. The 23 Best Nude Scenes in Film, from 'Shortbus' to 'Blue Velvet' Movies Shot on Film 2023 Preview: From 'Oppenheimer' to 'Killers of the Flower Moon' and 'Maestro' 'A Tourist's Guide to Love' Review: Rachael Leigh Cook Eats, Prays, and Loves Her Way Through Vietnam Where to Watch This Week's New Movies, from 'Beau Is Afraid' to 'Evil Dead Rise' and More But don’t get too dreamy-eyed for the rom-coms of days past: the film, which premiered at Tribeca 2022, has a jarring reminder that the world is a heartbreaking place, full of death, betrayal, and traumatic loss. It’s easy to get lost in the nostalgic parts of “Alone Together,” like the effortlessly picturesque Anthropologie home furnishings and stylish wardrobes of a “woman on the go in the Big Apple.” It’s even easier to get lost in Jim Sturgess and Holmes’ simple yet charming banter. “ Alone Together,” while set in 2020 amid the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, infuses the genre with the comfort of a matching cashmere bralette and cardigan sweater from the late 2010s, per the trend writer-director-producer-star Katie Holmes made famous then. Vertical Entertainment releases the film in theaters on Friday, July 22.ĭon’t let this film fool you: It’s not great, but it is a cozy reminder of rom-coms past. Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival.
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