If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

A different way of telling a story

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

This is really an outstanding short film. It runs for 12 minutes and was made by Academy Award nominee Don Hertzfeldt when he was only 20 years old. He also wrote the script together with the two voice actors from the film. I am not sure why I found this so amazing. I guess part of it is the fact that you are here watching them and you are also glad that you are not in an equally awkward situation like the protagonists. The first part they tell about their date and how it went in their opinion. The middle part is the actual date and we see what happens and the ending includes some more comments by Lily and Jim about what is going to happen next. Sadly, nothing it seems, although they liked each other. I guess that's life. I do not want to go into detail about any particular quotes or scenes in here. I could not even pick my favorite moment or scene really, because there were so so many of them. But the script shows me that Hertzfeldt really had deep knowledge about the human soul and about relationships and the ways in which men and women work (differently). It's absolutely great and every single award that this won was more than deserved. Hertzfeldt is possibly my favorite animation director right not and I just absolutely love his style. I would actually be curious to see him direct a live action feature film, maybe a short film first. But no matter if he does or not, I hope he is going to have a long and healthy career in the industry as I am so curious about all his future projects. "Lily and Jim" is maybe his least offensive movie and definitely a must-see for everybody in my opinion.

I saw this short recently and thought it was great - both poignant and funny. And the part where they turn on the TV was actually so funny that I laughed out loud sitting alone. I thought, why haven't I heard of this Hertzfeldt guy before, he's great. Turns out I had, but had forgotten. I'd seen both Rejected and Genre and thought, meh - I see what he's trying to do but the humor is too juvenile and too obvious. Kinda like South Park, or most of Cartoon Swim.So, I think Lily and Jim is brilliant. And the violence and mayhem in the TV scene is just perfect. It works as parody there, funny and to the point. The violence and randomness in his other shorts doesn't work for me. Just making something weird and/or overly violent doesn't cut it.For weirdness (even gross and violent stuff) that actually works because there's something behind it, see Wonder Showzen or Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job.

'Lily and Jim' is an animated short about the blind date Lily and Jim had. Both are being interviewed, doing their story while we see the images that belong to their story. They start in a restaurant where they do not know what they should talk about. Then they go to Lily's (voice by Karin Anger) apartment where they drink some coffee. Jim (voice by Robert May) is actually allergic to caffeine, but he does not say anything about it since he wants to keep their evening nice. He just drinks the strong coffee.Although it is not as good as 'Genre' from a year earlier, or both 'Billy's Balloon' and 'Rejected' after this one, 'Lily and Jim' is another fine example of the brilliant mind of animator Don Hertzfeldt. This one is the most accessible since it lacks some of the more violent images from his other films. It has some great laughs, when they are watching television is the best example, but not as much as any of his other films. Still terrific entertainment, highly recommended.

This is Don Hertzfeldt's third film, and arguably his best. This 13 minute film has as much heart as Woody Allen's "Annie Hall" with the sadistic edge of "Billy's Balloon," the followup to "Lily and Jim" played at the Spike and Mike Twisted Animation festival this past year.A brilliant, brilliant film.