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Mr. Roosevelt

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For people with the surname of Roosevelt, see List of people with surname Roosevelt. 2017 American film
Mr. Roosevelt
Theatrical release poster
Directed byNoël Wells
Written byNoël Wells
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDagmar Weaver-Madsen
Edited byTerel Gibson
Music byRyan Miller
Production
companies
  • Beachside
  • Sleepy Sheep
  • Revelator
Distributed byPaladin
Release dates
  • March 12, 2017 (2017-03-12) (SXSW)
  • October 27, 2017 (2017-10-27) (United States)
Running time90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Mr. Roosevelt is an American comedy film written, directed, and starring Noël Wells in her directorial debut. It also stars Nick Thune, Britt Lower, Daniella Pineda, Andre Hyland, Doug Benson, Armen Weitzman, and Sergio Cilli.

Emily Martin (Noël Wells) returns to her hometown to say goodbye to her cat and attempts to come to terms with her past while staying with her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend.

The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 12, 2017 and was released by Paladin on November 22, 2017.

Plot

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Emily Martin, a struggling comedian living in Los Angeles returns to her hometown of Austin, Texas, after her ex-boyfriend Eric calls to inform her that their cat, Mr. Roosevelt, is ill. Upon arriving at the vet's office, where she runs into Eric and his live-in girlfriend Celeste, she learns Mr. Roosevelt has passed away and agrees to cover the vet's bill.

Since the cat's cremation will take a couple of days, Eric and Celeste invite Emily to stay with them. Celeste has significantly transformed the house since Emily lived there. While Eric's social media posts are sparse, Celeste’s Facebook page is filled with photos of her, Eric and Mr. Roosevelt.

That evening, Eric and Celeste invite Emily to dinner with another couple. The gathering turns uncomfortable when Emily asks Eric about his band, and Celeste reveals he's shifted focus to a real estate career for stability. When discussing her own career, Emily describes herself as a comedian but admits her work primarily involves commercial auditions. Celeste, who vaguely describes herself as an entrepreneur, presses Emily about her motivations for moving to Los Angeles.

Upset, Emily storms off and accidentally bumps into a server, Jen. Eric follows, but both women quickly shoo him away. As Emily cuts her hand, Jen helps her clean it up in the bathroom. Jen recognizes her from her YouTube channel, and when Emily is asked why she's back in Austin, she opens up about everything: her cat's death, discovering her ex now has a new girlfriend, and how she feels like she's lost control and become overly attached to the cat. In an attempt to snap her out of it, Jen grabs a cup of water and splashes it in Emily’s face. Both women burst out laughing.

When Emily returns, everyone silently stares at her wet face and dress. The rest of the evening passes in awkward silence. The next morning, Celeste cheerfully presents Emily with a return flight to Los Angeles, using their frequent flyer miles.

Eric offers to make Emily breakfast, but she insists on making coffee instead. As she prepares it, they seem to "accidentally" bump into each other, and Eric ends up holding her from behind. However, Emily snaps out of it when she notices Mr. Roosevelt's empty bowl and hears Eric mention that it's now a "coffee-free" house. As he heads off to class, he casually mentions that her things are in the shed.

Emily cycles into town for coffee and runs into Jen at her shared house. The two spend the day at the Greenbelt, where Emily meets Art (Andre Hyland). Later, she quits her job over the phone. Cutting loose, Emily smokes marijuana, but eventually receives the message that the cat’s cremation is finished. Rushing to the vet, she learns that Celeste has already picked up the ashes. Furious, Emily storms back to the house and attempts to take the urn. However, the couple informs her that they had planned a goodbye brunch for the following morning.

Emily and Eric go out for a bite while Celeste is busy, and they are invited to a house party. Jen is there with her band, and later Eric joins her onstage to help cheer Emily up. Afterward, on the way back, they kiss. Eric quickly pulls away, calling it a mistake. He admits that while he once loved music, he now wants a family. The two finally have an honest conversation, with Eric telling Emily that she can’t see how much she’s hurt him because she’s too self-absorbed.

Emily storms off and hooks up with Art. She wakes up hungover, naked with him, and her clothes stained with semen. Quickly, she grabs an old outfit from her boxes, makes herself presentable, and heads into the brunch. Finding the situation absurd, she takes the ashes and rides off on her bike.

Back at Jen's, Emily updates her on everything, growing increasingly frantic. When Jen tries to calm her down with a splash of water to the face, Emily dodges, loses her balance, and both she and the ashes go flying. Overcome with emotion, Emily bursts into tears. After breaking down, she finally lets Jen drive her to Eric's.

Emily leaves a goodbye note, discards most of her things from the shed, and gets a ride to the airport with Jen.

Cast

Production

In March 2016, it was announced that Noël Wells would write, direct, and star in the film. She played the central character Emily, a struggling comedian in Los Angeles who returns home to Austin, Texas. The production of the film took place in Austin and was shot on 16 mm film. Ryan Miller composed the film's score.

Release

The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 12, 2017, receiving a standing ovation from the audience in attendance. Shortly after, Paladin and Netflix acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film. It was released on October 27, 2017. On December 26, 2017, the film was released on Netflix.

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 100% rating based on 33 reviews, and the critical consensus is summarized as, "Mr. Roosevelt offers an existential exploration of an entire generation through the microcosm of one woman's relationship with her cat." On Metacritic, it has an average score of 73 out of 100, based on 13 critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."

References

  1. "Lead Roles in Noël Wells' Film "Burying Mr. Roosevelt"". Claim Fame. March 22, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  2. Derschowitz, Jessica (2017-03-17). "SXSW Breakout Noël Wells on Her Directorial Debut, 'Mr. Roosevelt'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2017-04-06.
  3. Duttweiler, Darcie (October 26, 2017). "NOËL WELLS ON "MR. ROOSEVELT"". AustinMonthly.com. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  4. Cordy, Sean (March 15, 2017). "SXSW: The Cast of 'Mr. Roosevelt' Won't Accept Mediocrity in Comedy". Cut Print Film. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  5. "Noël Wells 'Mr. Roosevelt' to Feature Music by Ryan Miller". FilmMusicReporter. February 21, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  6. D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 8, 2017). "SXSW 2017 Lineup: 'Baby Driver', 'Free Fire', 'Muppet Guys Talking' & Docus That Matter In Trump Era". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  7. "Mr. Roosevelt". South by Southwest. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  8. Robinson, Joanna (March 13, 2017). "With Mr. Roosevelt, Noël Wells Moves Away from "Comedy Dinosaurs" Like S.N.L." Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2017-04-06.
  9. Hipes, Patrick (March 10, 2017). "'Mr. Roosevelt': First Look At 'SNL' Alum Noël Wells' Directing Debut". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  10. McNary, Dave (August 24, 2017). "Noel Wells' Comedy 'Mr. Roosevelt' Gets Theatrical Release (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  11. Crust, Kevin (September 1, 2017). "A guide to every movie being released this fall". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  12. "Mr. Roosevelt (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  13. "Mr. Roosevelt". Metacritic.

External links

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