Together Together Movie Storyline. The rope-a-dope strategy in Together Together starts in the opening sequence. A middle-aged man named Matt (Ed Helms) interviews a young woman named Anna (Patti Harrison) in what initially seems like a speed date, then a job interview (it’s both, in a way). The questions are cutesy yet invasive (“What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?”). The solo piano score, by Alex Somers, has that yacht-cutting-through-clear-water sound characteristic of hyper-verbal indie-film comedies about well-off suburbanites muddling through existential crises.
The credits font is Windsor Light Condensed, used in all Woody Allen films since “Annie Hall.” Between the the lead actors’ age gap, and their self-aware yet sometimes stumbling comic banter, it seems as if “Together Together” is a try-hard that’s aiming to give us the pleasures of a mid-period Woody Allen film without having to factor in, um, y’know, Woody Allen.
As it turns out, this is not the kind of film where the leads overcome social obstacles and live happily every after as husband and wife. In fact, it turns out to be a rare film about two characters you’ve never seen in a movie. They initially seem cut from middling romantic comedy cloth. Writer/director Nikole Beckwith and her lead actors gesture in that direction by having Matt and Anna quickly disclose shared feelings of loneliness and aloneness (different concepts) and talk about their troubled pasts.
Matt is the designer of a masochistic app called Loner that lets users browse profiles of other singles; they’re not allowed to save profiles unless they favorite them, and they can only pick one to favorite. Matt’s marriage collapsed for undisclosed reasons (basic incompatibility, it seems). But he decided to have a kid anyway, using his own sperm and a donated egg. He’s acutely self-conscious about being a single, straight man in his predicament. Anna got pregnant in college, gave the baby up for adoption, and earned the double-ire of her parents, who considered her a failure both for having an unplanned pregnancy and not keeping the kid.
Together Together is a 2021 American comedy film written and directed by Nikole Beckwith. The film stars Ed Helms, Patti Harrison, Tig Notaro, Julio Torres, and Anna Konkle. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 31, 2021, and was released on April 23, 2021, by Bleecker Street.
The film had its world premiere in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section of the Sundance Film Festival on January 31, 2021. Prior to this, Bleecker Street acquired the US distribution rights, while Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions acquired the international distribution rights. It had a limited release on April 23, 2021, followed by video on demand on May 11, 2021.
About the Story
Together Together begins with Matt, a forty-something successful app developer, interviewing Anna, a twenty-something who works at a coffee shop, to become his surrogate. Matt wants to become a father, but doesn’t feel the need to get married for it. On the other hand, Anna wants to get into college and get her bachelor’s and master’s degree, which requires money. This what brought her to the decision to become Matt’s surrogate.
Together Together then shifts to the first trimester and the doctor telling Matt and Anna that everything is going well, which makes Matt very happy. He asks Anna to go to dinner with him as a celebration, to which she agrees. Afterwards, Matt tells his brother and his parents about the pregnancy; his mother in particular seems very unhappy with his decision.
At dinner, Matt and Anna talk about pro-life and pro-choice life philosophies and how nervous they are in making conversation with each other. While ordering dinner, Matt makes a weird, annoying sound when Anna chooses to order potato over salad, saying it is not good for the baby, as what she eats the baby eats. He orders pasta with bacon.
After the waitress leaves, Anna says that “she matters only for the next nine months, but he matters for next 18+ years, so he should also be eating healthy food”. Matt agrees and asks why she didn’t made a weird sound, to which she responds that “she is not annoying”.
Next, both are shown attending therapy, where Matt says that he is very excited and wants to share the news with everybody; he is surprised when Anna says that she is not going to tell anyone about the pregnancy. Coming out of therapy, Matt asks if she wants a bite of candy and tells her that he once went to couple’s therapy with his ex, and after coming outside they would hold hands and eat candy.
At the coffee shop, Matt brings special pregnancy tea and clogs for Anna. She takes the tea, but says that she doesn’t need the clogs. Matt takes the clogs to Anna’s house, where he meets a guy Anna hooked up with. He gets upset as he thinks it’s not safe for the baby. Both then go to the hospital, where Anna makes it clear that he cannot stop her from having sex for a whole year, and it is safe as many married women have sex while they are pregnant, which the technician confirms. The technician asks if they want to hear the heartbeat. Matt is very happy listening to the heartbeat.
At therapy, Matt says that it was very exciting and he wants to hear that sound all the time, while Anna says that it was nice to see Matt so happy. The therapist asks them if they are having any conflicts other than the clogs; they share Matt’s concern over Anna having sex. The therapist tries to clear any doubt, but Matt is still reluctant.
During the second trimester, Anna tells Matt that she is going to use the money to get into an accelerated degree program at Vermont, so she can complete her Bachelor’s and Master’s within three and a half years. Matt shows her the to-be nursery, and she helps him pick a color for nursery, which she enjoys.
Next, both have a deep conversation about why they are alone. They start hanging out with each other more and decide that they should use a gender-neutral name to refer to the baby until they get to know the birth gender. They agree to call the baby “Lamp”. At the mall, shopping for maternity wear, Anna meets her sister’s friend and lies that she works there. She doesn’t want her sister or her parents to know that she is pregnant, as they would get mad at her, like they did the first time.
Together Together (2021)
Directed by: Nikole Beckwith
Starring: Ed Helms, Patti Harrison, Rosalind Chao, Anna Konkle, Evan Jonigkeit, Tig Notaro, Sufe Bradshaw, Nora Dunn, Fred Melamed, Jo Firestone, Terri Hoyos, Julio Torres
Screenplay by: Nikole Beckwith
Production Design by: Ashley Fenton
Cinematography by: Frank Barrera
Film Editing by: Annette Davey
Costume Design by: Elizabeth Warn
Set Decoration by: Ashley Swanson
Music by: Alex Somers
MPAA Rating: R for some sexual references and language.
Distributed by: Bleecker Street (United States), Sony Pictures Worldwide (International)
Release Date: January 31, 2021 (Sundance), April 23, 2021 (United States)
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