Director: Michael Showalter
Writers: Laura Terruso (screenplay), Michael Showalter (screenplay)
Stars: Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Tyne Daly
Synopsis: A self-help seminar inspires a sixty-something woman to romantically pursue her younger co-worker.
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If you’re a fan of painfully awkward comedy, then Hello, My Name is Doris is for you. Michael Showalter’s latest film will make you uncomfortable in parts if you’re sensitive to this style of humor but Showalter justifies that pain by making the journey incredibly fun. This film is a riot and it’s mostly due to Sally Field and Max Greenfield, who display vibrant chemistry from the first moment we see them together in an elevator.
Doris recently lost her mother, whom she lived with and took care of in her later years. The death of her mother sends Doris into an existential crisis, causing her to respond is some rather odd ways. She becomes infatuated with the new guy at work, John Fremont (Max Greenfield), who she awkwardly met in that crowded elevator. She becomes so obsessed that she befriends 13-year-old Vivian (Isabella Acres), the granddaughter of Doris’ best friend Roz (Tyne Daly), to help her become more hip with the younger generation. As a result, she creates a fake Facebook page to stalk John, she buys the cd of a band she’s never heard of and wears neon-colored clothing to concerts she’d never do otherwise. John takes notice and the two begin a friendship that twists and turns along the way.
The film overall is a bit formulaic but it succeeds tremendously due to Field’s performance. Field disappears into the role and displays an impeccable balance of humor and drama that makes Doris hysterical to watch but also emotionally engaging. Field especially resonates the character through her facial acting, that is just marvelous. Every tick, eyebrow raise, smile (fake or real) and facial tweak is spot on perfect. There’s one scene in a coffee shop where her reactions are the very definition of facial acting and how to make it funny. Or how about another scene where she is sitting on a medicine ball at work and she asks John to pump in more air because she didn’t think there was enough air in the ball. That moment will go down as one of the funniest scenes of 2016. It is also a great scene that highlights Field’s chemistry with Greenfield, who is also very good here. The character of John isn’t calling for too much differently than Greenfield’s Schmidt on New Girl but he does a great job of making it his own here. And as much as Field and Greenfield make this film, Tyne Daly is also worth noting. She has lines of dialogue that Daly nails with fine craftsmanship. Utterly perfect timing.
As good as the performances are, there’s also something interesting here about aging and why we nostalgize our youth and innocence. Doris’ mother was someone very sentimental and didn’t like throwing things out, which Doris inherited as well. Or did she? Maybe Doris didn’t want to throw out all of the “junk” in her life because it was something that mattered to her mom. The film is equal parts, Doris seducing John but it’s also Doris learning about her identity after her mom’s death and coping with the idea of getting older. One could argue that the root of her seduction of John is really more in the idea of just wanting to feel loved. Or perhaps wanting to be a part of something. There’s something about nostalgia and capturing the feeling of youth that helps cope with the aging process. This would explain why Doris acts the way she does and why she connects so deeply with Vivian throughout the film.
Thematically speaking, these notions are quite powerful and resonate authentically. However, narratively, the third act does become easily predictable and formulaic, which may smother some of that thematic potency but overall it’s still endearing. Showalter’s direction and balance helps lift the film past “been there, done that” as well, which amplifies the joyful qualities of this experience. His commentary on the hipster lifestyle is maybe mean spirited at times but isn’t too much of a distraction.
Overall, Hello, My Name is Doris offers awkward humor that will be panic-inducing for some audiences (like me) but it’s simultaneously very funny, heartfelt and in the end will make you smile.
Overall Grade: B+
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