Sharp Stick
Reviewer Alec Toombs doesn't totally understand Lena Dunham's new film, but that doesn't mean he didn't enjoy elements of it.
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I’m not much of a Lena Dunham dude. I never saw her breakthrough mumblecore movie “Tiny Furniture.” I watched and enjoyed the first season of “Girls,” but didn’t continue beyond that for whatever reason. I’ve seen her pop up in supporting roles on screens both big (“This is 40,” “Happy Christmas,” “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” “Honeydew”) and small (The Lonely Island TV movie “7 Days in Hell” and as Valerie Solanas on “American Horror Story”). This brings us to Dunham’s latest multi-hyphenate effort “Sharp Stick,” which is now playing in select theaters and will be available to stream on VOD beginning Tuesday, Aug. 16.
Sarah Jo (Kristine Froseth) is the child-like, wallflower daughter of Marilyn (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and sister of Treina (Taylour Paige). The three women live together in Los Angeles and work in varying fields – Marilyn’s a landlady, Treina an Internet personality and Sarah Jo a student and caregiver.
Sarah Jo’s current assignment is looking after a sweet little boy with Down’s syndrome named Zach (Liam Michel Saux). Sarah Jo enjoys her job, is good at it and gets along well with Zach’s parents Heather (Dunham) and Josh (Jon Bernthal).
This all comes to a crashing halt when Sarah Jo (a 26-year-old virgin) gives into her feelings and impulses and enters into a torrid affair with Josh.
Dunham’s often been deemed a problematic figure in the press and “Sharp Stick” is likely to ruffle some feathers (there’s a scene depicting a baby shower in honor of an aborted fetus). I don’t entirely know what Dunham’s motive was with the movie, but in my interpretation it’s sex positive and preaches women practicing self-love (regard for one’s self; not playing with one’s self – though, that’s OK too) … and that’s a good thing. Granted, our heroine goes about finding her sexual self in the wrong way (I think the film concurs with this assessment even if it leaves the brunt of the blame at the feet of Bernthal’s Josh), but it’s this experience that allows Sarah Jo to find happiness, self-acceptance and herself.
The infantilization of Froseth’s Sarah Jo is a bit much (especially for someone who lives in a sex-centric home in Los Angeles of all places), but the actress should undoubtedly be commended for bravely committing to the bit. I agreed to review “Sharp Stick” due to Bernthal’s presence (I’m a fan) and he does interesting work in the film. One moment he’s funny, charming and appealing; the next he’s pathetic, lame and cruel. It’s a layered performance.
Ably supporting Froseth and Bernthal are Leigh, Paige (Her work here almost feels like a continuation of last summer’s awesome “Zola.” Also, her “Zola” director Janicza Bravo turns up as Sarah Jo’s career counselor.), Saux, Dunham, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (he’s Josh’s equally douchey buddy in an amusing “The Punisher” reunion), Luka Sabbat (he’s a kind prospective love interest to Sarah Jo) and an inspired Scott Speedman (he’s sweet yet dim porn star Vance Leroy (awesome name BTW) of whom Sarah Jo becomes an unabashed fan).
I’m still not sure what Dunham was ultimately trying to say with “Sharp Stick,” but it was well-acted and never boring at a scant 86 minutes. It’s also hard to dislike a movie that opens with Khia’s “My Neck, My Back” and contains a joke about someone blowing air on someone else’s penis and thinking that’s a blow job.