SAN FRANCISCO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL | SFJFF 2009

When nice Jewish girl Beth (Rose Byrne) moves into a Manhattan apartment, the outspoken smarty next door, Adam (Hugh Dancy), is probably not what her upper-middle-class Jewish mom (Amy Irving) and dad (Peter Gallagher) had in mind for her. Adam takes her to Central Park to watch the playful antics of raccoons at night and has more planets and stars stuck on his ceiling than the entire geek squad of MIT. But cupid’s arrow strikes these two different denizens of Gotham hard; they have major chemistry, and within minutes we find ourselves rooting for them to overcome differences in culture and communication styles. Beth’s parents try to dissuade their daughter from pursuing the relationship, but like most adult children, that only makes her want him more. Adam’s down-to-earth buddy Harlan (Frankie Faison) offers advice on women, but Adam is not lacking in the charm department. Max Mayer’s romantic drama mines the story of twentysomething lovers in New York with refreshing dialogue and a wicked sense of humor. Winner of the Alfred P. Sloan prize for a feature film with science as a theme at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, Mayer’s script sparkles and shines even more than the stars on Adam’s ceiling.

—Nancy K. Fishman

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