Life Partners (2014)

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

If it weren't for the biphobia in the film (the one bi/sexually fluid character is portrayed as unstable and "not gay enough" to be with), I probably would've given it a six or seven. This is far too common in media, and the stereotype is damaging.As it was the film did portray well some of the issues of growing up and how it affects one's friendships. I did relate to some of the issues the women went through.It doesn't really reach very deeply though, and the ending is rather lackluster. There was some good humor in the film, but the writing really needed polishing.It was nice to see a mainstream film portray a non-straight main character. Gabourey Sidibe was sorely underused as a minor supporting character.

Life Partners can be described as a romantic comedy with the typical components of the genre (boy and girl meet, fall in love, break up, reconcile). It can also be described as a "chick flick" with slight feminist touches. And it can also be considered "gay cinema", because it portrays the amorous ups and downs of a group of lesbians in Los Ángeles. In fact, Life Partners is all that and more... and at the same time less. The screenplay covers many aspects, and it ends up falling short in each one of them. This doesn't make the film bad, but it avoids it from being particularly amusing, deep or memorable... it's just tolerable through 93 minutes of hollow narrative calories with a minimum intellectual nourishment. The main pro of Life Partners is the solid performances from Leighton Meester and Gillian Jacobs, who are both completely credible as friends with similar tastes and personality, but different levels of maturity. The main problem of the film is that nothing feels genuinely deep or dramatic. Things happen... there are cheers which don't inspire joy... other things happen... there are conflicts lacking of an emotional impact... and that's how the film goes by, more like a series of insipid vignettes than as a genuine tale about friendship, growth and reconciliation. However, Life Partners didn't bore me, mainly because of the competent works from Meester and Jacobs. Nevertheless, I wish this film had gone farther in any of its facets: funnier as a comedy, more passionate as a romance or more subversive as a gay manifest.

Its a film without many expectations, its not Casino Royale or Casablanca but certain it is a decent movie. Sasha is that part of ourselves who don't want to grow up, and we feel exactly like her about being an adult.Sometimes, make friends is even harder than have a boyfriend/girlfriend and thats because we become co-dependent to each others, I though Shasha was in love with her friend, but its not like that. The movie isn't that predictable and I liked it. Maybe some people will see this movie just because Sasha is gay and maybe she's in love with her bff, but if you're here because that, just don't. This movie is about friendship, co-depending, being lonely, about friends being your only family and of course... About growing up.

See this movie! I thought I was suffering burnout from ROMCOM's until "Life Partners" reinvigorated the genre with a modern take. If you enjoy "Modern Family", you will enjoy this. It is a story of 29 yr old best friends, one straight, one lesbian & what happens when one, inevitability finds love first. I'm all too familiar with this concept, having had roommates who moved on ahead of me. For one, the 24/7 benefits of support changes only in gender, & for the other, life becomes a temporary vacuum. Leighton Meester looks like a young Winona Ryder & plays the more interesting character. That said, the two main characters really sell the friendship with very real, well written dialog performed with mercurial back and forth. The movie is hilarious & showcases dramatic personality conflicts in the dating world and outside the best friend relationship. I liked that it didn't focus on the stereotypes of lesbian & straight dating so much as the commonalities. In truth, the experiences deal with more similar issues than unique. Each character undergoes a positive transformation in their life which most will identify with as a part of maturation. This in no way is to suggest the movie is too serious. Most of the movie is pure fun as you date vicariously through the characters, privy to their pet peeves & post- date autopsies. The movie captures the finer parts of the twenties & is surprisingly gender neutral in it's appeal. I highly recommend it as a fresh story about familiar topics for anyone in their twenties, or just wants to relive them, while having a great time. Excellent movie! I rate it 8/10 stars for the script, the actresses, the believability & ability to engage men & women alike. Knox D. Alford, III