Review: Layover (2008)

[Steve Rhodes]

LAYOVER
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2009 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****):  ***

In the sharply written LAYOVER, by writer and director April Wright, Tiffany 
(Stacey Miller) and Richard (Daniel Rhyder) are facing white-out conditions. 
This leaves them both stranded at an airport where they are attempting, 
unsuccessfully, to make connections to the next legs of their flights.

When they run into each other at the airport, Tiffany and Richard realize 
that they were both in the same class in high school back in Grand Falls. 
While she is eager to chat him up, he looks at first like he wants nothing 
more than for her to shut up and leave him completely alone.  This is no 
surprise, since they were complete opposites back in school, which must have 
been a decade or two ago.

Tracy, a haggard looking blonde who is probably younger than she appears, 
was a cheerleader who married Whitey, a football jock.  When she remarks to 
Richard, "Did you know I lost fifty pounds?" He answers quickly without 
thinking, "Fifty pounds -- I don't know where you'd put it."

In contrast, Richard is handsome and slender and probably older than he 
appears.  When she says, almost kidding, that she bets he must moisturize 
regularly and get Botox injections, he surprises her by saying that he does. 
He was a loner in high school who spent most of his time in the drama 
department.  Shortly after high school, he moved to Los Angeles to work in 
the theater there.  As it turns out, that is where Tracy is now moving as 
well.

As they begin to drink, they begin to bond and to share stories about their 
lives with increasing candor.  The film, which starts out heavy on the 
comedy, smoothly makes the shift to full-out drama with the revelations 
coming slowly at first but with rapidly increasing speed.

Richard complains that life is made of up of clichés and that Tiffany is a 
living cliché.  Rather than take offense, she completely agrees but ticks 
off ways in which she is attempting to turn her life around.

Richard isn't very happy with himself, admitting, "I'm a mediocre 
perfectionist, which can be problematic."  He talks insightfully about the 
"charades" people put on.  One of his, back in school, was acting like he 
didn't care that no one liked him, which in fact he cared about a whole lot.

Filmed with a loving glow, the movie all set inside an airport will have you 
glued to the screen as these characters you've come to care about reveal 
more and more of their lives and, in particular, their personal tragedies. 
LAYOVER is a genuine and touching film that's put together very nicely.  If 
I had one criticism of it, it would be that the director should give her 
actors more dialog-free moments when facial gestures could be used more to 
convey the emotions.  But it's a minor quibble.  LAYOVER is a lovely little 
gem.

LAYOVER runs a fast 1:19.

The film is being shown as part of San Jose's Cinequest Film Festival 
(www.Cinequest.org), which runs February 25-March 8, 2009.

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