CinemaNerdz

Movie Review: Band Aid

Scott Davis

Making a movie is incredibly hard work. First, you should have a good script to work with. Then, you must find a director who can take the words off the page and somehow translate them to the visual media. Finally, you must find actors who can connect to the written words on the page and understand the director’s vision. There are, of course, thousands of other things that also must go right, but the point is that the writing process is a difficult one, directing the writer’s vision of the story is challenging, and portraying the characters to get the most out of a story isn’t easy. When you must handle all three of those things, as does Zoe Lister-Jones in her film Band Aid, and it comes out as strong as it does, you deserve to be applauded for it.

Lately, we’ve seen some writing/directing/starring triple threats as of late. Ben Affleck is the first that comes to mind, but for every Argo (2012) and The Town (2010), there’s a Live by Night (2016). It’s so hard to handle all the responsibilities of a writer/director and make something that works on all the right levels. Movies are usually a collaborative process, and while there’s certainly collaboration on films like this, it is more of a single voice, vision, and presence than anything else. That’s what makes Band Aid so special. It feels incredibly personal while also being able to relate to everyone that has ever been in a long-term relationship. The jokes and situations are written and performed in a way that comes from experience and the whole thing proves emotional, funny, and touching.

Band Aid focuses on a young married couple, Anna (Lister-Jones) and Ben (Adam Pally), who are both at a crossroads in their life. Anna is coming off a failed book deal and helps pay the rent by working as an Uber driver, while Ben is an unmotivated artist who makes logos for various corporations. Neither of them are where they want to be at this stage of their lives so they take it out on each other by constantly arguing. What starts out as a fight about the dishes, typically turns into a much more personal and venomous confrontation. They slowly realize that they can release all their frustration and anger and turn those emotions into songs. They find old instruments from their high school days, recruit the incredibly “off” neighbor, Dave (Fred Armisen), to be their drummer, and viola, they have a band.

The first half of the film plays out like a typical indie comedy. There’s the rough patches of forming a band, the weird quirks exhibited by Dave (who is undoubtedly the weakest part of the film), and sarcastic humor infused in almost every line. Overall, it’s funny and feels realistic as Lister-Jones has a long history of playing in indie rock bands. Her and Pally come off as natural artists and most of the credit for that goes to the screenplay. Everything feels natural and breezy as the two of them make for an endearing couple that will make you laugh out loud in one instance and make you relate towards their anger in the next.

While the first half of the film is undeniably a comedy, the second half takes a very drastic turn when Lister-Jones almost completely abandons the comedy that made her film entertaining in the first place. While the change in tone is a little off-putting, I think she handles it with grace. Instead of going for something more entertaining or memorable, the final half hour or so of Band Aid aims to be much more personal and character driven. There’s a scene about three quarters into the film that could have pivoted one of two ways, but instead of going in a direction that could be found in most mainstream comedies, this film decides to put the characters through a very emotional thought-process, which makes the movie really stand out. It is quirky and has a biting sense of humor towards modern romance for the first two acts or so, but it’s the final act of the film that really homes in on the two main characters’ states of mind in a surprising way. If you’re looking for a light or fun date night option, I would recommend the first half of this movie, but would caution how serious the film gets in the second half. I loved the tonal change, but I can see how some could be thrown off by it.

Adam Pally and Zoe Lister-Jones in “Band Aid.”

Band Aid should make a star out of Lister-Jones. She is currently starring on the CBS sitcom Life in Pieces, but I think her real talent lies behind the camera. Fred Armisen’s character may be the weakest part of the film as he seems to be acting in a straight-forward comedy and not one with this much depth. That’s a minor quibble against what was undoubtedly one of the more welcome surprises of 2017. Band Aid will make you laugh and it might bring you to the verge of tears. It will also make you think the next time you fight with your significant other. Maybe forming a band is the aid you need?

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Scott Davis

Scott Davis is a recent graduate of Oakland University where he earned a degree in journalism. He worked for the student newspaper on campus, The Oakland Post, where he became the paper's managing editor. He also earned a minor in Cinema Studies at OU. Scott enjoys all things film and TV related, especially the blockbuster kind. He might be the biggest Christopher Nolan fan you know.
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