My last five girlfriends

Duncan- Brendan Patricks
Gemma- Naomie Harris
Wendy- Kelly Adams
Rhona - Cécile Cassel
Olive- Jane March
Natalie- Edith Bukovics
Will- Daniel Hoffmann-Gill
Director: Julian Kemp
Writers: Julian Kemp (screenplay)
Alain de Botton (novel)

Julian Kemp’s film My last five girlfriends is different from any movie I have ever seen. I don’t know much about comedy in the United Kingdom but everything about this film from the cheesy graphics to the child-like imagination of the protagonist was strange and new for me. The film’s plot revolves around a man named Duncan and his past five relationships. The audience views these relationships in their real time and through the lens of Duncan’s playful and complex mind. Although the film uses many different quirky animation sequences to represent the state of Duncan’s relationships, the most memorable were his girlfriends as amusement park rides. Duncan is represented as the theme park Duncan World. With each new relationship, Duncan World opens a new ride. And with each ride, Duncan is sure it will be the most exciting of all and will last forever but of course, this isn’t the case for any of them.

All five relationships fail for one reason or another and Duncan views the ups and downs of it all with a child-like optimism. The visuals used to examine Duncan’s thoughts are what make the film sweet and funny. On the surface, Duncan seems like a pretty simple guy. He wants to be in a relationship with an attractive woman who appreciates him for who he is. But when the film delves into his thoughts, the audience sees that Duncan views women, stress, and simple interactions with great complexity. Everything in his mind is shown with some sort of comedic satire or amusing graphics.

One of the best jokes in the film is when Duncan is so fed up with his failed relationships that he swallows a whole bottle of pills. We see him fall to the floor and the next shot is the outside of his apartment building with the credits scrolling. I stared at the screen with my jar to the floor and a look of disbelief. But then we hear Duncan chime in with “we’re not gonna end it like this.” The credits rewound and the camera zooms in on Duncan lying on the floor foaming at the mouth. He had taken a whole bottle of alka-seltzer pills. I’m pretty sure I heard a harmonious sigh of relief from the rest of the audience. I was just glad that I didn’t just sit through one of those funny- at- first- but- then- it- wants- to- get- all- dramatic- on- you- movies. I was pleasantly surprised that the movie stuck with its cheerful disposition all the way through.

At the very beginning of the film, I almost wanted to walk out. I just didn’t understand why everything was so…weird. The characters, the jokes, the sets, everything was weird. I stayed simply because, I didn’t have anything else to do. But by the film’s end I understood the purpose of the cute amusement park themed set ups and what they meant to the character. I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It was cute, funny, and unique. I would recommend this movie to anyone who needs a good laugh or wants to experience a comedy outside of the standard formula lineup in America. The movie left me with a carefree feeling very different from the usual drained sentiment I have after a day at the festival. I realized that I am a here watching these movies because I can and want to, not because I have to buy and sell for business. If I had been a buyer, I’m sure I would’ve walked out in the first ten minutes. Strangely enough, watching this film helps me appreciate the simple lifestyle I have that people usually only have a small window of time to take advantage of.