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"Homemakers" can best be described as a case study of "Peter Pan Syndrome."
Unfortunately, much like the main character, the film never fully develops. It's quirky and funny and weird at times, but ultimately "Homemakers" is too hip for its own good.
Following hipster transient punk singer Irene through the exploration of her late 20s, "Homemakers" has a very rootless quality to it that mirrors Irene's countercultural worldview. After inheriting a house from her great-grandfather, Irene moves from Austin to Pittsburgh to start renovations. Albeit haphazardly at first, Irene eventually finds solace in the role of homemaker. She meets up with her long-lost cousin, and the two go in and out of renovating the house and drunkenly destroying it.
This "two steps forward, one step back" mentality eventually takes its toll, and Irene soon has inspirations of nesting in her newfound home. The entire film acts as one long metaphor for growing up. Irene is constantly toeing the line between exuberant adolescent and responsible adult, but when she finds herself straying too far in either direction, she takes heed and destructively vents her frustrations.
"Homemakers" has a South by Southwest quality to the whole affair, which is to say it's hipster fodder that, at times, is too cool for its own good. The film tries too hard to maintain an edgy, eccentric vibe, and instead comes off as convoluted rather than refreshingly hip. I understand the aim of the film, but the delivery is muddled amid a sea of disenfranchised youth and fractured character development.
"Homemakers" makes promises of an irreverent comedy, but falls just short of said goal.