Lynn Shelton movies, such as Your Sister’s Sister and Humpday, usually have defining hooks that her brand of mumblecore adheres to, and love them or hate them, they’re about something. I know that her latest movie Touchy Feely is about something, too, but I don’t know that I’m into it... or if I'm even aware of what I’m supposed to be into. And yet, I still want to watch it. Somebody else watch the above trailer, courtesy of Apple, and tell me what I’m supposed to be seeing here.
Rosemarie DeWitt plays Abby, a massage therapist whose boyfriend (Scoot McNairy) wants to get serious. This is a problem considering that she has developed a sudden discomfort when she making bodily contact with anyone. I assume that the film will give this problem the breadth and attention it deserves, but the trailer just makes it seem like a wacky indie quirk. Her nebbish brother is played by Josh Pais (Law & Order), whose daughter Jenny (Ellen Page) appears to genuinely want to please people. Unfortunately, she wants to please herself most of all, as she apparently tries getting herself a little too acquainted with McNairy’s character. Allison Janney plays Abby’s humorous masseuse friend, who gets a couple of good lines off, and Ron Livingston pops up for all of one second, even though his name is big and bold on the poster seen below.
I'll just go ahead and say I hate the stereotypical indie trailer bits this trailer has going for it, from its transitional title cards to the happy/sad soundtrack to the awkward scene pacing. I don't mind the things that are shows, I just hate the way they're presented. It's off my chest now.
I certainly hope that Touchy Feely veers askew along the way of telling its story of complicated love and family drama. It hits VOD this August. I have until then to get the image of blonde back hair off of my mind.
