Results (2015)

That was an excellent one.

Admirable film.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Except that it takes a little too long and is slow to start, the only significant problem with this movie is that it is very confined to the personal trainer world. If you don't know any of these people, you won't get the movie, it will seem boring and pointless.But, if you know at least one personal trainer, this movie gives an interesting and decently executed look into their world. You'll recognize a lot of behavior of personal trainers in the actions of Guy Pearce and Cobie Smulders. Yes, it's not very funny, but that is also the point. But, it has funny moments, again, this being the point.Other than that, you can see an interesting story about how different people influence each other's lives in surprising ways and also how people can act very wrong towards one another for prejudices, wrong assumptions and similar silly, internal, things.

Netflix's streaming service can be a vast wasteland, but it can also be good for finding off the beaten path films that never would have played at any theater near me and that I might not wanted to have spent $10 on if they did. I've discovered a few real gems this way, as well as waded through some muck. "Results" is not a gem, but it has quite a bit to recommend it.I get tired of overly-scripted, overly-serious, over-produced studio films about BIG and IMPORTANT themes, so it's nice to come across films with laid back, indie vibes, about "regular" people dealing with the daily act of living, and that's what "Results" is. Kevin Corrigan is Danny, a depressed schlub who hires Kat, a personal trainer (Cobie Smulders) who works at a gym run by Trevor (Guy Pearce), with whom she previously had a fling. Things get uncomfortable when Danny and Kat's professional relationship crosses the boundary into the too personal, forcing Kat and Trevor to face some emotions that both have been trying to ignore.This might all sound overly scripted, but it doesn't feel that way as it plays out. It feels loose and even rambling at times, and indeed one of my biggest complaints about the film is that it can't seem to decide who its main character is. But what I did like about the screenplay was its ability to upend our suppositions about these characters and the kind of people they represent. At first, our sympathies lie with Kat and Trevor at the sake of Danny. They're attractive, fit, ambitious, everything we're told people who are in charge of their lives should be. Danny is weird, kind of creepy, ugly, dumpy. But as the film evolves, Kat and Trevor find that they have as much if not more to learn from Danny than he has from them, and that a life driven by striving for striving's sake isn't the path to inner peace and contentment, no matter how many power smoothies you drink or articles of Under Armour clothing you wear.Guy Pearce is one of my favorite actors, and he's really good in this film, doing a lot with material that another actor might not have been able to sell as well. Corrigan is the other standout, giving a minor miracle of a comedic performance, slowly winning the audience over until he almost makes us believe that being out of shape and stoned is what we should all aspire to. Smulders is the one who left me cold. She never makes Kat likable and very frequently makes her annoying. The best scenes in the film are those between Pearce and Corrigan, where Mulders isn't present at all.Giovanni Ribisi appears here and there in a pointless role as a pothead attorney.Grade: B+

The Three Acts:The initial tableau: At his local gym, rich but out of shape Danny gets directed to the owner, Trevor. Trevor interviews Danny, then sets up a schedule with Lorenzo for Danny. Kat (Trevor's former lover) talks Trevor into letting Danny be her client instead.Delineation of conflicts: Kat and Trevor are still attracted to each other, but Trevor wants Kat at arm's length since they are so mismatched. Danny wants to be with Kat, but Kat does not want to be with him. Trevor wants to expand his business, but has all these chaotic elements to deal with. Danny seems to be embracing discipline (diet and exercise, supposedly), but he shows little impulse control (giant TV, newly purchased classic guitar, huge house, weed, paying the gym a year in advance, views sample exercise videos as porn, pays a young man 300 USD to connect up his TV, and so on). Add in some throw away characters with the attendant noise.Resolution: Things move forward slowly in jumps, as in 'where did that come from?'

Premiering in this year's Sundance Film Festival's US Dramatic Competition, Andrew Bujalski's new dramedy Results is equal parts heartfelt, witty, and genuinely hilarious. Featuring standout performances from Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders and Kevin Corrigan, the film tells the story of the Power 4 Life gym, owned and managed by Trevor (Guy Pearce). He dreams of opening up a new location and branching out his business a bit to rival his competitors. Who knows, maybe a future location downtown might even have an on-site juice bar or a new yoga room? Trevor's business plans get mixed up with that of Kat (Cobie Smulders) his coworker who has taken on a new ultra-wealthy client Danny (Kevin Corrigan) who is set on getting back in shape at any cost. The results (no pun intended) of these eccentric characters' lives being mixed together creates some highly entertaining scenarios, like when Danny develops a crush on Kat and tries to bribe her with marijuana, or when Kat and Trevor have spontaneous late night drinks with rival gym owner Gregory (Anthony Michael Hall).Bujalski's work is infamous for being a mash up of vinaigrettes that encompass an overall story, and Results has received its fair share of criticism for not having an even tone. I panned Bujalski's previous film, Computer Chess for that every reason upon my first viewing. After some thought however, and a much-needed second viewing, I realized Bujalski's dedication to small details and his ability to avoid clichés and tropes makes him one of the most exciting indie directors out there. The writing in Results is near-perfect; you get a sense that these aren't just movie characters, but living and breathing people with their own set of complicated romantic desires and needs, and Bujalski captures them like a fly on the wall at their very best (and worst) moments.Besides being Bujalski's most commercial and most accessible film, Results might also be his funniest. It's a fantastic and witty film - the kind of thing you would expect Wes Anderson or Woody Allen to come up with - one with such fresh energy and endearing characters hard not to like. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but for those looking for some lighthearted-but- complex storytelling should look no further.