6 Reasons Why You Should Go See “The Overnight”

Brace yourself for what is the farthest thing from your average sleepover.

“The Overnight” is 100% NSFW, but fun to see in a theater of strangers that will laugh their asses off with you. That’s exactly what happened when I saw the movie back in April. It was part of the Independent Film Festival Boston in a theater that’s walking distance from my apartment so I thought I’d give it a shot. There was some buzz about it after its premiere at Sundance earlier in the year, but that was all I knew. With a glass of wine in hand, the lights dimmed and the movie began…with one of the most awkward sex scenes ever. But it wasn’t just awkward, it was laugh out loud funny in a way that I’ve never experienced within the first five minutes of a film.

So why should you consider seeing it over the bigger, action-packed movies this summer?

The cast of characters. “The Overnight” really takes quality over quantity to an entirely new cinematic level. The story is centered around Taylor Schilling (Emily), Adam Scott (Alex), Jason Schwartzman (Kurt) and Judith Godrèche (Charlotte) and their sons. Trust me, getting to know those personalities is more than enough to keep you engaged for 80 minutes.

Everyone has one of those “wild night” stories. But you typically don’t think of grown adults/parents indulging in the sort of “throw caution to the wind” type of night. That’s not the evening that Emily and Alex planned for, but it’s certainly what they get when they arrive and start rolling with Kurt and Charlotte’s plans. It will also put your so-called “wild nights” into perspective (aka they’re probably not nearly as wild)

What you see isn’t what you’ll get. Ever meet someone and think, “they must have it all” or better yet, stumble upon someone on Instagram and think their life is made up of puppies, sunshine and good vibes only? If so, you’ll relate to this story. Once you’re actually welcomed into someone’s home and you see the unfiltered version of their life, you can then understand who they are.

We all have insecurities. If anything, “The Overnight” perfectly illustrates (in a chaotic way) that we all have our own issues but we should also learn to let go of those things, love ourselves and embrace each others’ flaws. Maybe it was the wine I was drinking during the movie, or the imaginary effects of the drugs consumed on screen, but I left the theater feeling…lighter.

It offers a different perspective on marriage. Jason Schwartzman put it well in an interview with the Huffington Post:

One of the things that I take away from the movie is when you’re in a long-term relationship, you fuse as two people, and you are growing together. But just as it’s important that you grow as a couple, it can be overlooked that you’re continuing your individual growth and interests, and that you’re constantly bringing something back to the relationship. When you start to move too much as a unit and only a unit, what happens?

The plot doesn’t necessarily include the solution to this problem, but it forces you to take a step back and seriously look at your relationship. Maybe that’s the first step.

Artsy buttholes. It’s a thing. You’ll know what I’m talking about if you see the movie.