53. Stuck Between Stations

Casper (Sam Rosen) gets leave from the army to attend his father's funeral.  While he is home, he stops at a bar to get a drink and sees a familiar face.  It turns out to be Rebecca (Zoe Lister Jones) or as he remembers her Becky.  The two went to school together.  When he sees her with a group of guys that seem to be giving her a hard time, he goes to defend her honor which ends up as an ass kicking for him.  Outside the bar, she meets up with him to return his hat and even though she doesn't remember him they end up talking.

In fact, she goes to a party with him that is filled with people she doesn't remember from high school.  At the party she keeps getting calls from a professor that she used to sleep with.  Turns out his wife, who is head of the department, found out about the infidelity and stole Rebecca's computer that has her dissertation on it.  She tries not to think about it and just enjoy the night using Casper and his friends as a distraction.  They end up leaving the party and run into Casper's hipster friend Paddy (Josh Hartnett) who leads them to a circus party (typical hipster).  Throughout the night Rebecca and Casper learn more about each other but they made an agreement earlier that the night would not end with a kiss.  They would just stay friends.

Rebecca finally answers the professor's phone call and tells him that he better show up at her apartment in five minutes.  Not wanting to face him alone she takes Casper with her.  When they get to her apartment, he is waiting for them without the computer.  They get into a big argument which results in Casper putting him into a headlock.  They leave him and go to a park to get high.  That's where they come up with an idea to steal back her computer.  Casper has a narrow escape, but manages to retrieve the laptop for her.  As the night winds down, they go to Casper's house for one last beer and talk about some heavy issues.

There's something magical about just running into a person or meeting a person and spending the whole night together and then going your own way in the morning.  Maybe because IT NEVER HAPPENS.  But just because it's not realistic doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.  At first I was a little thrown with the split screen action they had going on because I wasn't familiar with the characters yet or the pace of the story, but as the movie continued I grew fond of it.  Also, why don't I ever get invited to these crazy circus hipster parties?  I can see how this movie wouldn't be for everyone.  The character's don't always seem likable and there isn't a lot of action, just kind of wandering and talking.  But if you like character pieces then I think you would enjoy this movie.

Rating: ***

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLgX5Zw1LD0