Kate Hudson and Michael Shannon Can’t Withstand the Rom-Com Blandness of A Little While Lie
A Little White Lie’s early developments feel comfortably predictable for a romantic comedy—appropriately zany, with two lead actors who convincingly embody their roles, binding an unwieldy ensemble together with the sheer wattage of their star power. Writer/director Michael Maren’s second film follows Shriver (Michael Shannon), a struggling handyman tasked with fixing toilets and silently eating takeout with his cat. He is quickly mistaken for a famous author and invited to speak at a literary festival by a determined professor, Simone Cleary (Kate Hudson). Shannon, not particularly known for his forays into romantic comedy, embodies the grumbling sweetness of someone clawing their way out of anonymity. His gruffness compliments Hudson’s sweetness. If he is hunched over, she stands upright; if he scowls beneath his heavy brow, she gazes with wide eyes.
The distinction between these two is reflected in the obvious shift in setting. Shriver’s world in New York is cloaked in shadows, while interior settings are covered in dark wood and mysterious stains. Simone’s fictional college campus is open, perpetually bright and soundtracked with the chatter of students and staff wandering between outdoor book stalls. When Shriver first appears on campus, Maren cuts between shots of branded tote bags, confronting our protagonist with a wall of English students all waving their newly finished manuscripts. They overwhelm him with their sunny determination, closing in on him in the same way the monster in a horror film would chase the hero.
Maren’s choice to root this story in academia is a smart one for many reasons. Cleverly locking these characters into an insulated landscape full of identically renovated halls and classrooms no doubt served the film’s budget, but it also built a compelling style of communication for these characters. The slew of witty quips and rapid-fire dialogue already bandied about in romantic comedies is naturalized in this kind of setting. Yet even with these storytelling shortcuts, the film’s visual blandness is disorienting. The onslaught of freshly painted buildings and overly manicured lawns may be an accurate portrayal of American academia, but it isn’t a cinematic one.