Written by Jim Hosking & David Wike

Directed by Jim Hosking

Starring Aubrey Plaza, Jemaine Clement, and Craig Robinson

Released 2018

After being fired from her greedy husbands cappuccino shop, Lulu Danger finds herself in the middle of an extremely unhappy marriage. Thanks to her hubby’s covetous ways, Lulu is presented with an opportunity to leave her miserable abode, and spends the weekend at a rather bleak lodge, The Moorhouse Hotel, in hopes to reunite with a past lover and a poetic performer of odd sorts, Beverly Luff Linn, for “One Magical Night Only,” stringing along her new companion, who is concurrently and hopelessly falling in love with Lulu.

Story

I tried to find any sort of BTS or “Making Of” for this film, but there were barely even any interviews with the actors and creators. So, I wasn’t able to dive deep into the process behind this paragon of absurdity; however, based on the directors previous work, (The Greasy Strangler, The ABC’S of Death ‘G’), this narrative wasn’t too far off from what Hosking has made, in fact, it’s one of the more milder ones. An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn, at its heart, is a love story, that portrays the weird, but sincere, ways humans tend to seek after it. You realize rather quickly what kind of lingual and motor anomalies this world resides its humor in. Yet, ironically, it has a very anthropoid design that makes viewers, at least me, laugh at how relatable the awkwardness can be. The journey itself is disorderly, everything happens abruptly, but not so abrasive that it disorients you. The characters develop in different ways then I think we all expect them too, which I tend to favor anyway, and it adds to the unique staple this world has. It’s as if every character embodies one emotion, exaggerated and expanded over their entire being.

Regardless of how eccentric everyone was, I found the story itself to be very sweet and simple, in a relatable, human way. Lulu probably had to settle with Shane, believing he would provide stability by being the owner of his own business. Besides Shane’s behavior being completely repugnant, it was clear that Lulu never really moved on from her lost love Beverly, and because of the capricious dynamic, she was able to confront that past part of her life. Meanwhile, Colin, who probably never had a real relationship with anyone, or definitely not with anyone like Lulu, really took on the part to “protect her” which in retrospect, there’s nothing ever too life threatening presented, except for Adjay wanting to kick Shane’s ass for stealing from him. He falls in love with someone who is already in love with someone else. I love the resolve of the story, how Lulu’s perspective changes, she doesn’t go back to either of her past partners and takes a chance with someone new. I feel like the only person who really goes through any big changes would be in fact Lulu, and although she seemed to be disassociated with reality throughout the time, I still fell in love with her entirely; I don’t blame Colin for doing so either.

Imagery & Production

Production Design was done by Jason Kisvarday (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Swiss Army Man, Sorry to Bother You), who also designed The Greasy Strangler. There’s definitely a distinct look Kisvarday materializes, sort of surreal cringe, and pastel thrift store, but in the best way possible. I feel like he takes very ordinary locations and instead of hiding any flaws it has, he magnifies the imperfections and makes it the entire pinnacle of the scene. Cinematography was done by Nanu Segal (The Leveling, All Good Children, The Bike Thief). Composition and movement was simultaneously beautiful and uncomfortable. There’s a scene where Shane Danger has his forehead pressed to Tyrone’s forehead, and they have this prolonged, repetitive dialogue with each other; it gave me uneasy feelings but I loved it for that. There were artistic elements creatively added in that had no real reason being there, again just amplifying the atmosphere so that we never get too comfortable where we’re at.

This type of imagery is very special to me because it adds an enchanted feeling to a world that already exists. We don’t have to imagine an unreachable place that can only be found through a portal or a complete other galaxy. These spaces are everyday places, these people are flesh and bone, with no magic powers, incredible strength, or mind bending skills and talents. They’re all average Jo’s who are just off societies normality scale, but still people. The hotel isn’t lavish, the coffee shop isn’t deluxe, the clothes can probably be found at your local hand-me-down shop. The character actions and interactions aren’t typical, but we’re all capable of being everyone of them. I believe I’ve said this in a previous review: in certain fantasy films, we can wish and dream of going to this magical land or having these supernatural capabilities, but with films like Beverly Luff Linn, we know we actually can have a similar experience to what we see happening, we can go to these locations, we can have relationships and friendships like this, etc. For that reason, there’s a special connection we have with the production of this domain.

Performance

This cast is sincerely one of my favorites. Aubrey Plaza (Lulu Danger), Jemaine Clement (Colin Keith Threadener), Craig Robinson (Beverly Luff Lynn), Emile Hirsch (Shane Danger), and Matt Berry (Rodney Von Donkensteiger). It works for me because they each are so vastly different from each other, almost as if from entirely different planets, yet they have this cunning cumbersome performance that somehow binds them together, and it just makes sense. Even the supporting characters were so idiosyncratic, they each could have an interesting solo journey that would be separate from this world, but also through vast randomness, be evermore connected. You would never imagine this group of people to actually be associated, yet that’s what reinstated the relationships. Jim Hosking has collected a cast of talented actors, both well known and not so popular, and has given them a particular direction to embody the uncanny and off-beat, which they did tremendously great with.

Aubrey Plaza, who is most famously known for her role on Parks and Recreation as April Ludgate, has a knack for fully committing to the awkward persona, even during interviews she seems naturally in that state. Paired with Jemaine Clement (What We Do in the Shadows, Dinner for Schmucks, Eagle vs Shark) who also performs in an innate and untaught dry humorous way, the two immediately became one of my favorite cinema couples. I would have loved to be able to understand how these actors were directed, what sort of prompts or conducting occurred to bring out what the final cut exhibited; nonetheless, it was purely genius, and unlike what you would see in mainstream media. This type of performance seems a lot more intricate to execute because of how peculiar it is. If you’re not able to understand what kind of character needs to be delivered, it could definitely flop, not landing any reaction from the audience. These talented individuals, along with the director, did a fantastic job at bringing to life these weirdos.

What Does it Mean?

There’s a line Colin says to Lulu towards the very end of the film, that I believe summarizes the entire message – Lulu: “He was my first love…” Colin: “You can have other loves.” Then the two dance together in the middle of an empty floor, and my heart melts completely out of my chest. A manageable meaning, yet it resonated with me because for a majority of my young adult life, I could not move on from my “first love” or really the first serious love I ever had with my high school sweetheart. It wasn’t until I got a bit older and experienced more of life that I realized it’s okay to move on from a person, and it doesn’t invalidate the very real emotions you have towards them, but now you can allow yourself to sincerely open your heart to other people. Our first loves can be the hardest to sort through, especially if they ultimately don’t work out. There’s also a stigma if you love other people that is completely ignorant and depressing. Eventually, I learned to let go of those harmful projections, validate my own experience and feelings, and move on with my life. It’s okay to still love people, even if they are no longer with you, or if you both have become different people entirely, but don’t cut yourself off from finding new love, and potentially a lasting and fulfilling relationship for the person you are now.

An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn was a surprise movie find that I can’t even remember how I stumble upon, but it was added to my list of favorites and of course Hobo Circus approved.