LAGGIES

US, 2014, 99 minutes, Colour.
Keira Knightly, Chloe Grace Moretz, Sam Rockwell, Mark Webber, Sarah Coates, Ellie Kemper: Gretchen Moll.
Directed by Lynn Shelton.

Laggies is a colloquial word to describe young women and their trying to break out.
The film is a surprising star vehicle for Keira Knightley after her previous successes but she enters into the spirit of this film as Megan, nearing 30, unsettled though in a relationship with her high school sweetheart, Anthony (Mark Webber), holding up a sign in the street to advertise her father’s legal firm, promising to go to seminars but not doing it. She belongs to a group of women whose teenage boundary breaking we see during the prologue but who are now settling down, especially for marriage and children, some of them rather more prim in their behaviour. Megan feels she is not fitting in, especially when she sees her father and sexual misconduct at her friend’s wedding.

The gist of the film is her encounter with the young teenager, Anika (Chloe Grace Marantz) whose father is a divorce lawyer (Sam Rockwell) and her mother, who has walked out on them seven years earlier, is a model for lingerie catalogues (Gretchen Moll). The father thinks that the relationship is odd but the young girl relies on the old woman for advice, to go to see the school counselor posing as her mother, in a visit to her actual mother.

There is a climax when one of the teenagers crashes the car during an argument and has been drinking, Megan confessing to the police that she was driving, bringing to a head her relationship with the girl’s father, being more understanding of her father and having a good talk with him, and deciding to accept who she really is, no matter what the consequences.
The film was directed by independent director, Lynn Shelton (Humpday, Sisters Sister).

1. A story about women? About teenage girls? About early recklessness? About settling down? About deciding futures and planning for them?

2. The Seattle setting, the city and its views, suburbs and streets, homes, schools and clubs, bars, socials and weddings? The musical score?

3. The title, the description of the young women in the film?

4. The prologue, the style of photography for flashbacks, the girls, their characters, behaviour, jokes, upsetting the rules, drinking, the nude swim…?

5. 10 years later, the group, keeping together? The women friends? Anthony and Matt? Their gatherings, preparation for the wedding, the girls together, the new restaurant, Alison as prim, criticising Megan and Buddha’ nipples, the jokes and the touch of the raunchy, Alison upset? The other members of the group, their friendship? Savannah and her engagement, pregnancy, asking Megan and Anthony to be godparents?

6. Megan, idle, remembering the past, some ambitions about counselling, standing in the street with the ad for her father, her visits to her family, her father spoiling her? Love for Anthony, their being together for a long time, school sweethearts, his wanting to propose, her hesitation? With the girls, their criticism of her? At the wedding, seeing her father and his sexual behaviour, her shock, running away?

7. Anthony, the good man, in love with Megan, at home, urging her to the seminar, to make decisions, his own development (and the animal choice), at the wedding, his wanting to propose, Megan leaving, her later explanation, her consent, his giving her the ring, the plan to elope?

8. Megan, upset by her father, leaving the wedding, absent from the photos, encountering Anika and the group, agreeing to buy the alcohol? The skateboard? Their inviting Megan to come with them, the discussions? Megan pretending to be at the seminar, going home with Anika, the room, the father and his questions? Her response? The strange situation with his daughter? Her spinning a story about new accommodation, his allowing her to stay? In the guest room?

9. Anika’s father, divorce lawyer, the young man and his father’s divorce? His own divorce, the wife walking out, trying to bring up his daughter? Lonely? An eccentric sense of humour? Edge with his daughter?

10. Anika phoning Megan with the special phone, asking her to be her mother at the parents’ meeting, the discussions with the counsellor, planning the future? Staying over, and Anika asking her to go to see her mother with her? The visit, the mother, having walked out, conscious that she had done wrong, unable to talk to her daughter, Megan giving her good advice, serving the lemonade, bringing in the lingerie that she used for her photo shoots, Anika choosing, happy with the visit?

11. Anthony, the phone calls, her anger with her father? The drinking with Craig, the kiss, the sexual encounter, the aftermath? Anika’s seeing the two together? Her rationalising the situation?

12. Driving, Patrick drunk, the arguments, the crash, Megan taking the blame, the breath test, in jail, Craig coming to talk with her, her confession of the truth?

13. Megan returning home, the plan to elope, the dress that she bought while shopping with Anika and her friends, at the airport, the discussion with Anthony, the realisation that she could not marry him, the impact on Anthony, her leaving, going to the prom, urging Anika to approach Junior and wanting to be his girlfriend, his acceptance?

14. Megan, her return to Craig, his momentary rejection, her going in – to her future?