Two books feature in director Jeff Baena’s new irreverent brainchild “Spin Me Round”One is the most life-affirming and sentimental of all. “Eat, Pray, Love,” while the other, likely more obscure for American audiences, is Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez’s gritty, nonfiction crime saga “News of a Kidnapping.”
Olive Garden commercial which devolves into “Eyes Wide Shut,”The film alternates between two distinct modes of these tomes. There is the artificial, unrealized fantasy of a lively European vacation where all inhibitions have been put aside and there is the fear-inducing suspicion about something sinister and worth investigating.
True to its title, Baena’s latest takes us through more than a few tonal twists and plot turns, even if they don’t always land smoothly or humorously, in its exploration of how fooling oneself into believing a fantastical fiction can provide dangerous respite from a bland, ordinary reality.
Amber (Alison Brie), after nine years working as a manager at Tuscan Grove in Bakersfield, a low-quality chain Italian restaurant that serves a poor quality, was selected to go on the trip she has always wanted. It seems like a great opportunity to reenergize and learn more about Italy’s culture and cuisine with other high-performing employees. However, the magic quickly fades once you land.
First, the Instagram-worthy accommodations are being replaced by a drab hotel decorated in desaturated, drab colors. Then there’s the collection of other odd guests that include overbearing, boundary-crossing Deb (an enjoyably deranged Molly Shannon), apprehensive Tuscan Grove diehard Dana (Zach Woods), as well as two other young women and a former cooking-show contestant with an enormous ego.
After several failed culinary lessons, the group finally meets Nick (Alessandro Nivola), their boss and face of company. He takes a liking for Amber. However “Spin Me Round” deliberately avoids being a grand tour of Italy, and sightseeing is limited, Baena ensures Nick’s seduction tactics on a boat have a glossy, dreamlike atmosphere that’s no more authentic than the food served at his restaurants. It is quickly apparent that it is love at first sight.
Baena also brings back his most recurrent accomplice — his wife Aubrey Plaza, who starred in the director’s “Life After Beth,” “Joshy” “The Little Hours.” Plaza, who often improves whatever she is in by virtue of her darkly humorous presence, plays Kat, Nick’s closest associate in grooming other women, with her characteristically acid line delivery. A sequence where Amber and Kat go off on their own to have a reckless night is where the story rings more honestly spur-of-the-moment and more risky in how Brie’s character is confronted with inner conflict.
At first, Brie (also a co-writer here, as she was on Baena’s “Horse Girl”) imbues Amber with wide-eyed gullibility, making her susceptible to Nick’s advances. Everyone around her praises how open-minded she is, and though their compliments have ulterior motives, there’s truth to her willingness to go along for the ride under the impression that it will lead her to a torrid love affair.
Just as the film moves from a sun-dappled wonderland to a mystery with hints about a human trafficking operation, her demeanor shifts from that of the bubbly title character of the Italy-set “The Lizzie McGuire Movie”to one of jaded suspicion. Although a few facts about her past are occasionally mentioned, they do not justify her tendency to be easily charmed.
Brie’s somewhat grounded performance, in contrast with the more heightened acting around her, does a lot of the emotional heavy lifting throughout. The film’s strongest element is that defined character arc, which occurs amid the disarray and without much of a backstory. Nivola, a childishly manipulative womenizer, excels in this role. “cult-leader light” energy. As a result, he has a lot of range.
Baena casts a broad casting net and also takes part in bits for names like Fred Armisen or Ego Nwodim. They’re responsible for most of the effective comedy, though in some cases with portrayals that border in “SNL”-style caricatures. It is not always funny, but it can be quite amusing due to the managerial team bickering dynamic. “Spin Me Round”The engaging nature of the “what the hell is happening here?”Baena inspires early, so there is no doubt about that.
An interesting comedic exercise, this is Baena’s least eccentric outing yet (considering there are no jealous zombies or foul-mouthed nuns), but it’s perhaps his most narratively ambitious, in terms of its genre playfulness and a clear objective of dismantling its protagonist’s false illusions. Both the score (by veteran composer Pino Donaggio) and Sean McElwee’s cinematography go along with variations in tone.
As the music moves from happy-golucky, jinglelike cheer to suspensefully ripe for a James Bond movie, so too do the lighting choices. They are more on the nose to reflect Amber’s fear. There’s a thematic and practical synergy that’s far more impressive than some of the dry-humor gags that don’t amount to much.
“Spin Me Round”It is relevant to our common desire to have an experience that is different from the norm to escape the crushing grind of everyday life. However, it holds Amber responsible for the castles she built in the sky for her own benefit. Perhaps her own desperation for something interesting to happen colored her experience, and the people on the other side of the equation weren’t as deceitful as she imagined.
“Spin Me Round”It will be shown for the first time at the 2022 SXSW Festival Film Festival.