Whenever I go to Sundance, and have taken in a few dozen really serious movies, I try to spend the final day with stuff I know nothing about and probably won't have to think about too much. The final movie for me this year was Band Aid, which looked like a charming if forgettable indie comedy, the likes of which the festival has become synonymous with. Boy, was I surprised, because it ended up as one of my absolute favorites, with more to say about love and music than many movies before it.
Zoe Lister-Jones pulls triple duty as writer, director, and star alongside Adam Pally in the story of a married couple whose rocky relationship is smoothed over by the music they make together, which is inspired by their verbal battles. You walk into it thinking this is something you've seen a million times before, but there's a nice balance of sweetness and raw, ugly emotion that just works. Plus it's hella funny.
Also starring Fred Armisen, Susie Essman, Ravi Patel, Colin Hanks, Brooklyn Decker, and Jamie Chung, Band Aid opens July 2nd. You can check out my early review here. I really hope people give this one a shot.
