Jamie Travis’ feature debut For A Good Time, Call… stars Lauren Miller (50/50) and Ari Graynor (Celeste & Jesse Forever) as young, determined phone sex operators whose business gets them everything they desire and some things they could do without.
Lauren Powell (Miller) has been forced to move out of her boyfriend Charlie’s (James Wolk, Lone Star) apartment when he ventures to Italy on his law firm’s behalf. Katie Steel (Graynor) is a carefree twenty-something whose formerly rent-controlled apartment is no longer, which leads Steel to seeking a new roommate. The prim and proper career-girl, Lauren is introduced to Katie by a mutual friend (played by Justin Long) and the two butt heads almost immediately after learning they have a sordid history. A lightbulb turns on for Lauren, who’s struggling to get work, when she overhears Katie operating a phone sex hotline from her bedroom. Katie then insists that Lauren run the business side of things and take a cut, to which an apprehensive Lauren agrees. In no time at all, Lauren has transformed Katie’s business into a bonafide success and even begins to take some calls herself as she shucks her good-girl personality for some fun and cash. Hilarity ensues while the girls deal with clingy callers, religious nuts, and parents, but conflicts arrive for the technologically promiscuous ladies that threaten their business, their friendship, and their futures.
Graynor and Miller have a palpable and infectious chemistry on screen that keeps the film’s heart and humor well-balanced throughout. The girls travel through some of the dirtiest dialogue uttered in an R-rated film with smiles on their faces and display such genuine delight at playing their roles. Graynor, with her decade-long history of quirky characters, sells her character a bit more than the still-green Miller but they play off of one another and there’s no noticeable weakness in their acting together. Long steals the scenes he partakes in and seems to relish his sassy gay man’s one-liners. Wolk lacks screen time and he’s fairly stiff when he is seen. It’s partially due to his white-bread, cardboard-cutout of a character, but he slows down the film wh
en he appears. Various cameos from Nia Vardalos and Seth Rogen (Miller’s wife in the real world) provide comedic highlights, with Rogen’s being particularly vile (and hilarious).
Besides the conceit of a phone sex hotline, the plot isn’t terribly original and the beats can be seen from a mile away. It’s mostly forgivable considering the absurd phone conversations with clients involving everything from dildos to cages to airport bathrooms will have you hysterical. The amount of raunchy joking cannot be overstated. I went into this movie thinking it would be a step up from Bridesmaids in the humor department, but the filmmakers often go balls deep or further with the jokes so that even my comedy-saturated ears were ringing.
The movie is bouncy and bubbly and filthy with its comedy and pacing; it never feels drawn out or thin. The palette of yellows, pinks, and blues compliments our fun and youthful protagonists all while belying the uproariously dirty business they deal with on the phones. The soundtrack is light and pervasive, but never invasive. It lends itself to each scene, whether it be montage or character moment, and fits with the tone of the film. Good Time is also brightly and crisply shot and rarely gives away its indie origins.
Rating: A raunchy and rollicking, if predictable, good time at the movies for any gender and a dirty shot in the arm for female-driven comedy in a time when the genre is thriving. (8/10)
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