Divorced dad is a rare Hollywood hero, huh? And not without reason. I think most of us feel that if a dad is divorced, he has contributed mightily to his own demise, so screw him. Few films call a divorced dad anything better than a flawed man and fewer still will present his split as both a defining characteristic and sympathetic asset. And yet, here we are.
Will Henry (Jemaine Clement) is a cartoonist and father of two adorable twin girls in a midtown Manhattan brownstone. I think he’s technically a “graphic novelist,” and although the literary medium is discussed in People Places Things, I don’t believe I heard the term “graphic novelist.” For this alone, I am thankful. At the twins’ 5th birthday, Will goes in search of his wife Charlie (Stephanie Allynne) and finds her nearly dressed in their bedroom with shirtless Gary (Michael Chernus). Ugh. There’s a top-10 nightmare for me. What would you do? I think Will is actually as cool as he can be under the circumstances – insisting that Gary put on a shirt while his brain catches up. When he requests a second time, Charlie takes off her shirt, revealing no clothing underneath, and hands it to Gary. “There, is that better?” “No, actually, it’s much worse.”
Both the direction and the screenplay want us to be furious with Charlie. After all, what kind of monster has a barely disguised sexual affair during her daughter’s birthday party? Will, however, tempers us. He is mostly confused by his wife’s actions and part of him concedes that whatever she did, he must have contributed in some way. Hence, I found it very easy to sympathize with Will. If the person you love changes her attitudes towards life, towards you, towards love, there has to be at least partial complicity on your part, doesn’t there?
So what do you do when life kicks you in the balls and forces you to live in a crappy studio in Astoria? Will continues to teach his college cartooning classes and illustrates his life in the side. In the latter, he can describe perfectly what happened but has no idea of what to do with it. That sounds like more than half the days I live, quite frankly. What’s that, my star pupil, Kat (Jessica Williams)? Have dinner at your place with your single mom? Well, I don’t think … wait, your mom is Regina Hall?! Maybe I could come over briefly.
You might have guessed People Places Things is not exactly a saving the Earth from a lethal alien virus kind of film, nor even a Wuthering Heights romantic sexcapade. It’s just a guy. A kinda normal, kinda funny guy with a wonderful sense of decency trying to balance work, divorce, fatherhood, potential romance, 
depression, and half-a-dozen insecurities stemming from potential trust issues. Hence, this is the most accessible film I’ve seen in a month.
I’m so used to Jemaine Clement playing over the top (as seen in films like What We Do in the Shadows, Muppets Most Wanted, and Men in Black III) that I forget he’s a real guy. For me, he’s sort of an unpolished, less “actor,” Kiwi comic version of Gary Oldman. Of course, now I want to do see Gary Oldman sing and tell jokes. I digress. In People Places Things, Clement gets to be much closer to what I’m guessing is his “reality,” and he’s a pretty likeable guy with or without the New Zealand accent.
If you head to the movies as an escape, you will be sorely disappointed with People Places Things. However, as a tutorial on how to compose yourself when your life is clearly falling apart, or perhaps just a character study of a guy who deserves a little better, this is the film for you.
A cartoonist is left feeling raw
With an affair that sticks in his craw
In divorce there’s no winning
You restart from beginning
Perhaps he can settle for a draw
Rated R, 85 Minutes
Director: Jim Strouse
Writer: Jim Strouse
Genre: Life after love
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Single dads
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: People who confuse religion and morality
