Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: SPIN ME AROUND [SxSW Film 2022 - Virtual]
The texture of situational awkwardness can be an art form in itself but also a progression on the nature of human behavior, ambition and also manipulation. "Spin Me Around" [Narrative Spotlight] comes from the mind of star Alison Brie and director Jeff Baena (who wrote "I Heart Huckabees" and is also the longtime partner/now husband of Aubrey Plaza). In that way it is an interesting blend to see the textures of the what the film shows between textures of social commentary, romantic comedies, being in Italy, farce and underling sardonic humor. The progression is supposed to be uncomfortable in that way since all the characters are supremely flawed...some annoying to an edge but that is life. The background of the story is that top restaurant managers get a trip to Italy to learn about their flagship brand: a fast casual restaurant called Tuscan Grove. What results is a gang of misfits that know significantly less about cuisine than they should but that is on purpose. Brie plays her part with an earnestness that has always been key in her performances but is always open to the experience.
The cast is a motley bunch which makes the performances at times both uneven but strangely compelling because one wonders what the end game of any of them really is at their core. Alessandro Nivola is good but smarmy as the would be CEO of the company but he pales in comparison to his recent turn in "The Many Saints Of Newark" but the way the dialogue is built is part of the issue overall in the film (maybe by design but it doesn't work as well as it should). However, when the actors just give into behavior without explaining the scene it works much much better. By far the best chemistry is with Brie and Aubrey Plaza who has a smaller supporting role. Their scenes crackle because they can riff on each other's humor and anticipate it even with the smallest gestures but that progression too peters out a bit in the final act (which takes on a different bent in its own way). The film keeps one guessing and that is part of its strength but it is also too many things at once. Molly Shannon is added to the mix as Deb and is almost making a different movie than everyone else but again that is part of the movie's MO in many ways. The music choices are fun for sure and give an interesting (again) romantic comedy angle against a more intrinsic theme of power and perception that moves throughout the film. The film is flawed for sure but the likes of Brie and Plaza shine nonetheless. B-
By Tim Wassberg
