Listen Up Philip

Official synopsis followed by review below:

2014, 108 minutes, color, U.S.A.

Anger rages in Philip as he awaits the publication of his sure-to-succeed second novel. He feels pushed out of his adopted home city by the constant crowds and noise, a deteriorating relationship with his photographer girlfriend Ashley, and his own indifference to promoting the novel. When Philip’s idol, Ike Zimmerman, offers his isolated summer home as a refuge, he finally gets the peace and quiet to focus on his favorite subject—himself. 

Following up his critically acclaimed The Color Wheel, Alex Ross Perry scripts a complex, intimate, and highly idiosyncratic comedy filled with New Yorkers living their lives somewhere between individuality and isolation. Jason Schwartzman leads an impressive cast, including Elisabeth Moss, Krysten Ritter, and Jonathan Pryce, balancing Perry’s quick-witted dialogue and their characters’ painful, personal truths. With narration by Eric Bogosian, we switch perspectives as seasons and attitudes change, offering a literary look into the lives of these individuals and the triumph of reality over the human spirit.

Director: Alex Ross Perry

Screenwriter: Alex Ross Perry

Executive Producer: Christos V. Konstantakopoulos

Producers: Joshua Blum, Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston, David Lowery, Katie Stern

Co-producer: Michaela McKee

Principal Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Elisabeth Moss, Jonathan Pryce, Krysten Ritter, Joséphine de La Baume

Review by Jason Brown:

The movie "Listen Up Philip" plays out like a noir drama - deftly narrated between scenes the way the narrator in a book fills in the blank spaces left between dialog quotes. Jason Schwartzman's character is the tragic hero that you never root for and even come to loathe by the end. Jonathan Pryce delivers a thoughtful performance I haven't seen him do in many years. The two men okay off each other in a mentor/student - or even a master/slave sense in one scene. Pryce's character is an iconoclast - with Schwartzman's attempting to rise. There are other minor subplots besides what is in the official synopsis however they only are present to allow the audience to grow to despise Schwartzman's character. I left the movie feeling exhausted by Schwartzman's negativity and blasé mentality. That does not diminish the movie. Schwartzman's character can easily be compared to the one he played in Rushmore - thoughtful, witty, melancholic and spiteful. I recommend this movie and hope to see it in wide release. My fear is that this will be remanded to small art house theaters.