Starring: Ed Helms, Patty Harrison, Nora Dunn, Fred Melahmed, and Tig Notaro.

Directed By: Nicole Beckwith

Where I Watched it: Hulu

English Audio Description Available?: No.

The Plot: A 40 something man (Helms) decides that despite being single, he is at the point in his life where he wants to be a father. So, he connects with a surrogate (Harrison), and the two begin on a nine month journey that certainly tests all preconceived notions these two may have had about how this thing is supposed to happen.

What Works: Well, what may work for me may not work for you. I enjoy Ed Helms, and he is at peak Ed Helms here. He’s so typical of himself that it is hard to figure out which came first, him or the movie? Did they write the script around him, or was he actually cast perfectly in this role? Or, alternatively, was there another script meant for a different actor, they cast Ed Helms, and he just ad lobbed all his dialogue? It is just too on point. At bare minimum, someone punched up his dialogue.

But, I really did find myself engaged in this quirky comedy that was oddly endearing and not really interested on being a straight forward romcom. it stayed pretty much where it actually should stay, and that’s what made the film work so well. These characters don’t really Chang their entire lives, or throw everything away and run to the top of the Empire State Building together, they aren’t “together together”, they’re just together for now, but the growth in the characters still exists outside of the desire to turn this into a straightforward romantic comedy. These two still learn a lot from each other without needing a physical connection.

I honestly, I really. Do always prefer audio description, but I enjoyed this so much, I’m glad that I watched it anyway. It wasn’t that hard to follow.

What Doesn’t Work: like I said, if you’re not an Ed Helms fan, this will not win you over. he’s never been more himself. There isn’t much stretching as an actor here. It’s a great performance from him only because it feels so incredibly authentic, because it probably really is how he is in the real world. I know I’m not giving enough credit to the other half, but I honestly am not familiar with Harrison as an actress. I’m not sure what she looks like, because I don’t think I’ve seen her in anything before, and it was hard for me to put a voice to a face. If I’m being truthful, I went for lake Bell for some reason. That’s who I plugged in here because I didn’t know who she was, and there was no description to tell me what she looked like.

The Blind Perspective: if you have to watch a film without audio description, or don’t mind watching a few, this is one of the easier films to follow. Lots of easy jokes to follow, and it is super dialogue heavy. The plot isn’t overly complicated. It’s just a nice film, just remember, it is rated R.

Final thoughts: Really glad I saw this. in a year of 20212 films that has been mostly disappointing, this was a surprise bright spot.

Final Grade: A-