It is always a bit unpleasant to give a bad review to an indie romance film that tries to overcome its lack of money by a well-written script. At first, I thought "Coasting" had a well-writtent script. The story begins with this chance encounter between two people in a hotel bar lost in the middle of nowhere. Various topics are discussed and it's quite nice to watch. Scenes from their "normal" life are intertwined and it's very clear for us that those two are, in this hotel bar, happier than they ever been on their own.
This is a 100% indie film so money (and lack of) is an issue when it comes to the production. The problem is that it really is not pretty to look at. The image is below-average, the settings look fake and actors are not that good (except Stephanie Wyatt, the main actress that does quite a good job). I've seen better produced movies with less money so that's not an excuse anymore.
Those problems can be overlooked if the script is great throughout the film. That was the case for "Five dates" but not here. In a curious twist of events, the film goes in a very peculiar way and that kills the film as far as I'm concerned. It is a major drag from the moment it's announced till the end (that could have been great minus the plot twist). Some critics appeared to have liked that but it really bothered me and prevented me to like the film.
It's always in the darkest of places that comes the shiniest light and in the case of "Coasting", this light has to be the score by Geoff Shell and the wonderful songs by Josh Rosen. I've loved all the five songs that can be heard in the film and it's very much worth the $0,99 asked for the rental of the film. One critic on the poster of the film says that "Coasting" is a "quirky romantic comedy that flies in the face of convention" and that is exactly what it is, for better or worse.
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Our grade |
Directed by Michael P. Noens.
Starring Jonathan C. Legat and Stephanie Wyatt.
Duration : 1h30.
Synopsis : Two people, both in relationships, find love in the most unlikely place, a remote hotel bar in the small town of Stillwater, IL. Twice. Now they'll have to deal with more than anyone's fair share of difficulty, family issues, current significant other issues, and proximity issues, to try to make it work.
Available from Vimeo on Demand at the price of 0,99$.
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FilmsdeLover.com is a French website exclusively dedicated to romance films, may they be dramas or comedies. We love this genre and we talk and write about them all the time on our website. And sometimes, we write in English as well. Feel free to contact us if you have got a romantic film you would like us to talk about and review.
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