Powerful

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

First of all, the very first scene in the movie basically starts with Maggie saying she wants a baby. No scene-setting or anything, it felt like the director just couldn't be bothered to somehow introduce the story. Then there's weird time warps in the middle of it, where we cut to her with a 3 year old kid who came out of nowhere, and the audience is supposed to guess who it is and who she had it with. Then the actual plot of the movie feels like she's somehow degressing and unravelling her life for no obvious reason. Why didn't she just dump the guy? It was just kind of pointless. And all the while the two female leads just forgive a man who brings nothing to the table, is unfaithful and a waste of space, but is somehow worthy of his family back and everyone going out of their way not to just break up with him and leave him to face his own actions. The whole movie was just so bleh.

There is a certain type of romantic comedy that I've come to call New York style. These comedies began with the films of Woody Allen and more and more are making their way to the screen. I call them this because they almost always seem to take place in a world that few know, that present an idealistic world in the city of New York and tend to take on the most cosmopolitan atmosphere. Characters in these movies live in one of the highest priced markets in the country yet seem to have jobs that afford them the opportunities to live in extremely nice houses/apartments, the ability to stay at home to work writing and to raise a group of children who go to private schools rather than the public school system we're always told is in need in the city. As I said, an idealistic world. But that isn't a criticism.In MAGGIE'S PLAN we're introduced to a quirky young woman named Maggie (Great Gerwig), a career counselor at a university who has decided she wants to have a child. She doesn't want a husband or father for the child, just the child. In trying to achieve this goal she asks a friend named Guy (Travis Fimmel) to donate his sperm to the cause to which he agrees. Before this takes place she makes the acquaintance of a young writer/professor named John (Ethan Hawke).As she and John become close he asks her to read his novel in progress which she does, complimenting him with each page. In a marriage to a Georgette (Julianne Moore), a woman who seems out of touch with real emotion, John feels trapped and soon finds himself in love with Maggie. The same night she attempts artificial insemination (with a turkey baster no less) he shows at her doorstep and the two end up in bed together.Maggie does indeed become pregnant and John makes the decision to leave Georgette and marry Maggie. All goes along for several years until Maggie makes the decision that perhaps she isn't really in love with John after all. After meeting Georgette and talking to her she also begins to consider the distinct possibility that John and Georgette were actually meant for one another. And so begins her plan, her attempt to push John out the door, manipulating him along with Georgette, to return to his former wife and family.As I was saying the concept of switching from one woman to another usually results in bitter feuds and divorce cases in most movies. In this "sophisticated" type of comedy the wives become friends instead and work together to achieve a mutual goal. A moment or two is spent on the children involved from his first marriage and how they are affected while little is done to the child John and Maggie have together due to her age. In addition to this Maggie also has well to do friends, a married couple played by Bill Hader and Maya Rudolph, who also seem on the upward track when it comes to career and housing.As a romantic comedy it does have its moments, several of which may actually make you laugh out loud. The acting is very well done by all involved with, the only exception of which might be Moore and her accent. Her cold and unfeeling character comes alive after John has left her and it makes it difficult to believe that she ever felt anything prior. At moments I worried that even her children would like Maggie better than her and want to stay with Maggie instead. I even wondered if they would prefer Maggie to both of their parents at one point.I doubt that this movie will make anyone's top ten list but it will offer a night's entertainment that will have you guessing what will happen until the end. A nice little tag in the last few moments offers a sweet surprise that I though was charming. In all I found it a movie that I could watch again with ease but with a finger on the fast forward button to move through a few moments a second viewing might require. But during a first viewing my guess is most will find they will never have to touch that button and will find themselves charmed by this young woman who wants nothing more than her own child and in the end gets more than she bargained for.

"Maggie's Plan" is an American 95-minute movie from this year and the writer and director is filmmaker and actress Rebecca Miller who has directed several Hollywood stars in the last 10 years, such as Daniel Day-Lewis. It's been six years since her last project behind the camera though (and even much more in front of the camera), so a great deal of curiosity may have sparkled about her project here. The title character is played by Greta Gerwig. I personally really like her as an actress, even if I must say her characters are all somewhat similar from what I have seen so far: goofy, childish, positive, sparkling, clumsy personalities like the one in "Frances Ha" as well. And another parallel to that film is that, in the end it is all about friendship and love between friends, not between partners for her character. The male lead is played by Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke, who plays a man that enters Gerwig's character's life and is bound to stay apparently. Or is he really? And finally, there is Oscar winner Julianne Moore, who was the best thing about this film in my opinion and gives the only somewhat memorable performances as the wife left by Hawke's character.All in all, I would say that this was an entertaining 1.5 hours, but sadly there is a "but". Actually there are several "buts". One would be the comedy aspects. I think they felt cringeworthy at times and included for the sake of taking a bit away from the dramatic gravity. This film is at its best when it is a relationship drama. No denying. Also it is a bit of a predictable movie. The way Moore's character is described early on is in a really negative way, but the longer the film goes, the more we are supposed to like her, which is of course an indicator of what is going to happen at the end to Hawke's character and they needed to depict Moore this way, so the audience will not be disappointed or even angry that the (as always) likable Gerwig character is not the one who gets him. But she gets another guy apparently, one who maybe even really loves her more and who turns out to be the father of her child as we find out at the very end. Yeah, this was a bit too much for sure in terms of pleasing the audience with a happy ending. At least it was somewhat surprising as (despite the earlier ice skating reference) I did not see it coming. But it's kinda absurd too that she never considered the possibility that Hawke's character is not the dad. Or that he considered it. She gets the guy who is a bit of a likable idiot and fool like herself eventually.The three main actors definitely elevate the material here. I had some struggles with the script throughout the film I must say. One would be that Hawke's character is depicted so unhappy with his marriage that you would think he will really only do the most necessary things because of the children, but on the contrary: He keeps bonding with his ex-wife, even in his new marriage. This came out of nowhere given the way the relationship was elaborated on previously. Then the two are married so fast. Gerwig's character says that she cannot stay together with a guy for longer than six months, but then she marries right away? This also came out of nowhere. There are more plot developments that did not make sense in the grand scheme of things I have to say, but overall thanks to the acting mostly I guess and some of the better script moments, this was an enjoyable watch, even if it was far from achieving the quality that it could have achieved. I recommend the watch. But not too enthusiastically. Certainly worth checking out for people like myself who like Gerwig, Hawke and Moore.

Greta Gerwig as "Maggie" (an independent woman) bakes up a plan to become a single mother and in the process 'the plan' works but then backfires and puts her into a situation 'the plan' did not include - marriage.Gerwig gives a charming performance as Maggie steering a course through a relationship with a overly analytical writer once divorced husband, raising her three year old child, working her job as an instructor in a local college, and realizing her husband is still in love with his first wife! Maggie is in a pickle so she devises another plan!The setting is the New York City intellectual society living in row houses and meeting in cafe's to socialize. The cast includes Bill Hader, Ethan Hawke, Maya Rudolph, Julianne Moore, Wallace Shawn. This is a simple 'slice of life' type story about modern people looking for and finding happiness and direction in their life. It's probably a film more appreciated by a viewer that likes a romantic flavor in a story that looks into the feelings and emotion in the human spirit.This is a cheerful light story that includes just a touch of sorrow mixed into a picture of mostly happy people getting on with life. And don't forget the pickles!