Movie Review: Home Again (2017)

Summary: Life for a single mom in Los Angeles takes an unexpected turn when she allows three young guys to move in with her.

This is going to be a short review.

Pros:

Cast and Characters. Honestly everyone in this movie is fine.  They’re just fine.

• Reese Witherspoon as Alice Kinney. She is a mother of two who is recently separated from her husband. She wants to start and interior design business. She starts off being sad and lonely but when she meets three young guys trying to make it in LA, she lets them stay in her home and she is a bit awkward about it at first, but she opens up to them more. They become ingrained her life, for different reasons and as always Reese Witherspoon is cute in her role. She’s just fine and her character is likable as she is trying to just continue her life, while also doing the best she can for her daughters.

• Pico Alexander as Harry Dorsey. He is one of the three aspiring filmmakers. He was the director and seems to be the one who tries to keep the other two on their path. Harry is Teddy’s older brother and the one who Alice meets first, and they hit it off. He seems like a nice guy, it’s implied that he might be a lady’s man but ya know, we only see that one time. He really has a thing for Alice, enough to the point where he really tries to do right by her in other instances. I liked this guy, he’s super cute and sweet, and he had great chemistry with Reese Witherspoon.

• Jon Rudnitsky as George Appleton. He is the screenwriter of their film. He has a talent and he bonds with Isabel over writing. He also is amazed to learn that one of his favorite filmmakers is Alice’s father, so he bonds with her over that. George also is worried about taking future jobs, he wants to, but he doesn’t want Harry to think it’ll effect their own film. George is nice too, he apparently is in love with Alice, but I didn’t see that. I’ve never seen Jon Rudnitsky in anything but he’s a likable guy.

• Nat Wolff as Teddy Dorsey. He is the youngest, Harry’s younger brother and he’s the lead actor in their film. An aspiring actor. Teddy really connects with the family. I think it’s implied that maybe he and Harry didn’t have a great connection with their parents, so he really takes to Alice’s kids, especially Rosie, the youngest daughter. When Austen comes into the picture, he’s really upset because he thinks he’s upsetting the balance in the family they’ve created. I really like Nat Wolff as an actor, and he’s good in this role. I hope to see more from him.

It’s Cute. It’s a really cute and harmless movie. I don’t think it’s terrible or anything, but it just a cute rom-com where we see people navigate through life, and whatever other obstacles might arise. I still would have preferred to see the movie through the guys’ point of views, they were more interesting but still a cute movie.

It has Heart. It does have a nice little heart going on in it. The relationship between Alice and her daughters, or the ones the guys create with Alice and her daughters, even Alice’s mom is nice. So, while the movie is just cute, I think it has a lot of heart as well.

Looks Good. The film had a really nice, upbeat and colorful look to it. The movie is set in LA which allows for some bright set pieces, a lot of colors and the house the film is set, was a beautiful house.

Cons:

The Story. I mean it doesn’t really have one. There are things happening, but I don’t think there is a main through line for the film. Yeah. Alice is going through things but to be fairly honest, it doesn’t seem like the main point of the film. I actually would have rather followed the group of young guys. Alice could have just been a plot point in one of their story instead of being the main character.

No Conflict. It tries to create conflict, but it could have just been a cute little rom-com without trying to be super dramatic about Harry not showing up for Alice’s dinner party, which is why she gets mad at him. Plus, the whole thing with the Michael Sheen’s character. Who cares lol. Then you have the whole thing where George also likes Alice. People kept saying that but I never really got that, maybe a little crush or something since she’s the daughter of a filmmaker he admired, but otherwise, whatever lol. They just kept trying to create problems where they didn’t need to be any.

Overall, Home Again is a cute romantic comedy. Don’t expect a ton out of it because it’s not going to surprise you or anything but it’s sweet. The actors do great in their roles, their characters are all likable, and the movie is pretty harmless. I do think the story is really weak and I think the movie would have benefitted from following Harry, George and Teddy instead of Alice, but it works fine here too. Also, there isn’t any conflict even though they try to create some. It’s fine.

Rating: 2.90 out of 5 stars.

Have you seen Home Again?What were your thoughts on it? Was it Bland? Was it cute? Let me know in the comments below!

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