User Reviews

As was really well discussed in the other reviews, this man Otto gets dumped suddenly by his wife of 11 years, who shares a daughter with him. Suddenly Otto is harshly returned to life as a single man, theoretically looking for a new female partner.

For the most part he has not a clue as to how to proceed, and mostly due to his looks (which, for his age are well above average) he keeps finding women who are only interested in immediate sex with no elements of friendship or plain old-fashioned hanging out together for the profound yet simple pleasure of the other person's company. Then, close to the end of the movie, he encounters a woman he knew from decades ago who genuinely likes Otto to spend time with, AND have sex with (at perhaps a slower pace that is so much better in my opinion), AND is willing to take a huge leap of faith inviting Otto to just "drop everything" and join her in an indefinitely long trip to Costa Rica that long ago she planned to start, plane tickets and all, the very next day at 6:45am! This woman I can only describe as a "dream mate" she is so fine, especially relative to every other woman that Otto has known or met including his soon-to-become ex-wife. In my mind I kept routing for Otto "Do It!"..."Just do it!" Then his cellphone rings, and Otto's very *realistic* decision can be deduced. Let's just put it this way: if it was me, no force on Earth could have stopped me from going to Costa Rica!

Minor Spoilers.

Goodbye to all that follows Otto, whose life is altered when his wife unexpectedly informs him that she wants a divorce. Otto is blindsided by this information, and all of a sudden, he finds himself thrust back into bachelorhood. However, rather than looking for a new relationship, Otto tries to find himself amidst a string of one-night stands.

For me, this film hit a little too close to home. When I was a kid, my mother had an affair similar to Annie, and much like Otto, my father was blindsided by that fact and her desire to get a divorce. So that made this a tough watch. I will say Melanie Lynskey did a great job of being the narcissist and unsympathetic ex-wife. However, the film may have benefited by flushing out her character's motivations a little better. We are only ever really told that she just wanted a divorce because she wanted it.

This brings me to my second criticism of the film, which is the fact that there isn't really a plot. Otto is just simply drifting through life from scene to scene. He also seems to have no problem meeting women and shaking up with them. He states near the end of the movie that he does this because he wants these women to feel good. However, it's clear that he is also enjoying the sex too. And it is like he only cares about that and having his daughter with him. Supposedly in the original version, Otto lost his foot. I think that would have been an interesting take and added some much need depth to the main character and the film as a whole.

It wasn't all bad, though. For me personally, Anna Camp Stole the show. Anna Camp plays Debbie Spangler, who is conflicted by her desires to be a good Christian and her sexual desires. I'm a huge fan of Anna Camp's, and I was surprised to see her take this role. She is no stranger to sexy characters and being in sexual situations, but this was on a whole another lever for her. She is literally naked in this film, which I wasn't expecting. While I think that scene could have been handled a little better, I'm not complaining about what we got to see. I also thought that Debbie Spangler was the most interesting character in the film, Anan's sex appeal aside. Debbie Spangler wants to be acknowledged so badly that she's constantly stating her own name and telling everyone who she is. And her interaction with Otto at the end was super sweet. Debbie wants to make sure that Otto knows that she sees him for the kind person that he is. In that scene, Debbie channels her need for someone to tell her that she is amazing and reassures Otto when he is at his most vulnerable. She transfers that positive energy to him before she leaves.

All and all, it wasn't a great movie but if you want to watch a different kind of film or you just need a little more Anna Camp in your life give this one a watch.

GOODBYE TO ALL THAT is an offbeat saga of a clueless guy finally finding his way. Too many plot gimmicks and difficulty in relating to the main character marks this as an interesting but unsuccessful exercise.

Paul Schneider, best known on TV's Parks and Recreation, stars as Otto, a runner who stumbles in the opening sequence, severely injuring his foot. A doctor later mockingly threatens to cut it off if he doesn't stop stressing the limb, but Otto predictably keeps running anyway. His character is an athlete used to persevering through pain, and writer- director Angus MacLachlan surely piles on plenty of pain for the rest of the film (script has him accident-prone, even losing a capped tooth twice, once swallowed).

His beautiful wife Annie (Kiwi thesp Melanie Lynskey) drops the first bomb by inviting him early on to a therapy session, in which he's flatly informed their marriage is over. Otto is so clueless he doesn't even know she's seeing a therapist, and the comical scene sets up the premise of his being a schlub who doesn't really pay attention to what's going on in his life.

Actress-heavy cast has women portrayed in very negative terms, with Otto always the center of attention and carrying film's point-of-view. While not overtly sexist this motif is tiresome as we are treated to the self-centered wife, callous therapist, strange and slightly threatening boss (comedienne Amy Sedaris effective in a brief turn) and a succession of extremely flakey women who all hop in the sack with Otto once he's separated from his wife.

Outlandish (and unbelievable) premise is that these beautiful women can't keep their hands off him, just as in a lousy vintage porn film. GOODBYE TO ALL THAT is far from porn of course, with the sex scenes played more for laughs than eroticism. Guest star Heather Graham even manages to consummate a zip-less intercourse with Otto without removing a single article of her clothing. A cute sex toy is featured in several scenes for effective laughs and even plot device (pun intended) usage, qualifying the film in contemporary standards of vulgar comedy. The film's likely R rating, however, will undoubtedly stem from frequent dropping of the F-bomb on the soundtrack, rather than visual sex content.

Schneider tries hard but fails to be believable as the ladies' man hero (though I see one fan compares his looks rather wishfully to tennis great Roger Federer). As written, the role's combination of ineptness and wishy-washyness with allure and sexiness would probably call for the talents of the late Dudley Moore - I can't think of a current A-list star who would qualify, maybe Ashton Kutcher in a stretch.

Only truly sympathetic character is Otto's nine-year-old daughter (well-played by Audrey Scott), around which his life ultimately revolves. She is the force behind the film's "lady or the tiger" ending, which rounds out auteur MacLachlan's themes.

Film reminded me vaguely of John Cheever's classic story THE SWIMMER, which was made into an unsuccessful film starring Burt Lancaster in the '60s, though Otto's journey doesn't rise to the allegorical level of its predecessor.

Over-dependence (as in so many 21st Century movie and TV productions) on mobile technology to carry the story forward is a major drawback. In this case Otto uses Facebook or his mobile phone to call or text women leading to the hookups. His lost love crush on Lara (Heather Lawless) is rekindled after seeing her at a 20 year reunion, but he only sees her (in 2 scenes) face to face for less than 5 minutes, ruining the "reconnected" premise.

North Carolina locations are attractive and perhaps the film's greatest asset.

First of all, it's good, but not really great. Though some if it is.

Melanie Lynskey and Anna Camp are great. Their roles are quite different, but both are perfectly believable as "normal on-the-surface yet a little crazy" women. Seeing them brings memories of similar women you met in your life. They're not just believable, but very entertaining.

Story is good, but, would benefit from more coherence and a clearer line/thread. The idea probably was that this be more like a documentary, and life isn't clear. But, it went too far. I don't believe, as some do, that the end was any worse than the rest of it. It's consistent with the rest.

The directing and production quality is lacking. It's good enough, but could have been (much) better.

There are many funny moments to experience and most are not jokes or gags, but seek a more deep/meaningful humor.

It's not a "feel-good" movie, it's not a provocative movie, it's not a movie that makes you think deep about something. It's a movie that makes you go "yeah, life is weird, but one can have fun with it".

I always appreciate when a writer finally gets to direct his own work, and does a good job of it. Angus MacLachlan earns his stripes on GOODBYE TO ALL THAT (2014, Theatrical), an audience-pleasing comedy with enough drama to make the characters and their evolving situation realistic and empathetic.

Paul Schneider, a North Carolina School of the Arts alumnus, like MacLachlan, is cast against type as Otto, a droopy-eyed schlemiel who has the best of intentions but weak-willed execution. Even his name exudes limpness. Schneider, who has moved on from David Gordon Green movies to critical acclaim in Jane Campion's BRIGHT STAR (2009), won the Tribeca Film Festival Best Actor award for his performance in GOODBYE, and it's merited.

Playing a kind of well-intentioned loser is a challenge for a usually stalwart actor, but Schneider works hard to keep his character's head above water, given the unending litany of disasters that befall him. He could have a nice chat with Professor Larry Gopnik from the Coen Bros.' A SERIOUS MAN (2012) about just what they did to deserve God's disfavor.

In Otto's case, he breaks his leg on a run, his wife (Melanie Lynskey) abruptly leaves him, he loses his job and moves to a slovenly new place where he is promptly robbed. Can it get much worse? This does not sound like a recipe for a successful comedy, but this is where MacLachlan's writing skills (see JUNEBUG (2005), the movie that launched Amy Adams' career) and his clear aptitude for directing shine through.

Otto goes through a somewhat familiar series of dating adventures in a new, online world, but MacLachlan's female characters are more sharply etched and memorable than usual.

This especially applies to Anna Camp, another NCSA alum, as the inimitable Debbie Spangler, a lusty Christian woman who is as divided in her desires as Liv Ullmann in PERSONA (1966), along with Heather Graham, and Ashley Hinshaw. There is the usual embarrassment involving a pre-teen daughter, and Audrey P. Scott acquits herself very well in that role under MacLachlan's assured direction.

It helps to have gone to acting school if you're a first-time director, and MacLachlan's sensitivity to his cast, particularly Scott, results in consistently good performances from the ensemble.

Otto loves and learns, but not the essential lessons. One of the few drawbacks to GOODBYE is that his realization comes too late in the movie to be really meaningful in drawing him out of his doldrums.

Heather Lawless, as the woman he seemed finally destined to be with, shows up so late she seems halfway out the door when we first meet her. She's an interesting presence and MacLachlan might have done better to spend more time with her and less with the bimbos, amusing as they may be.

It's difficult to do a contemporary romantic comedy without falling into clichés and tropes, and MacLachlan stumbles into a few along the way.

But I found GOODBYE TO ALL THAT refreshingly entertaining and interesting, and its fast pace (a welcome 87 minutes) and smooth performances left me feeling only a little frustrated by the abrupt ending. This is one director whose sophomore film I will look forward to with anticipation.