Plan Maggie

The speed with which several years in the characters’ lives are spanned corresponds to the director’s effort to adapt the narrative structure to the twists and turns in the characters’ lives. There is a large gap between the initial phase of falling in love and the mutual waning of interest, when outwardly nothing has happened except the birth of a daughter. The inability to see the benefit of the relationship in anything other than Lily is perhaps the reason that Maggie begins to consider divorce. In examining the private lives of free-thinking urban intellectuals, Rebecca Miller exhibits a talent for observation and courage to speak openly about relationships and sexuality similar to those of Lena Dunham (with whose Girls this film has more in common than with Woody Allen, from whom we probably would not have seen references to the Occupy movement, Pussy Riot or Slavoj Žižek). Miller obviously loves her characters and tries to find understanding for their shortcomings by placing them in a broader context (the protagonist’s obsession with control over her own life may stem from her unstable family background and her effort to make only 100% correct decisions, which comes from her upbringing according to Quaker principles). Only Georgette comes close to being a caricature at first, but the second part of the film is focused on humanising her, when Maggie conversely becomes a comic figure. The willingness to view the characters from different perspectives and to present multiple models of a satisfied life through their stores differentiates Maggie's Plan from comedies that more unambiguously declare which path to happiness is the right one. Even though the film also thematicises the shift of attention from Maggie to John and Georgette in the dialogue scenes (life as fiction vs. life as confusion without a fixed order), it is formalistically inconsistent and rhythmically unbalanced. In the second half, the film loses its initial spontaneity and momentum, as it becomes more sedate and predictable, and the dialogue, which spirals like the characters’ relationships, doesn’t do much to enliven it. Though the attempt to offer audiences two films for the price of one is not entirely successful, Maggie’s Plan is still an extremely clever and mostly believable mix of screwball and remarriage comedy with a smart and self-sufficient female protagonist (which is something exceptional in and of itself). 75% (10.06.2017)

It says in the description it’s a comedy/drama/romance, and I can’t see why. I think the only romantic moment was when Ragnar Lothbrok pulled a flower out of his pocket before starting his job as a sperm donor. I didn't notice any drama at all. There were some scenes that were supposed to make me laugh, only they didn’t. The main character seemed like an unrelatable moron all the way through. The plot was simple and predictable, just dull. Written and directed by Rebecca Miller, well, great job. (08.10.2016)

Very good, civilian acting performances, which nevertheless have a great dose of caricature, especially in the case of Julianne Moore. In addition, a story about how it can turn out with such a planner who wants to plan life not only for herself but also for others. A bit of comedy, a bit of drama, all nicely balanced. (17.08.2016)