The Longest Week
Peter Glanz
The story: Conrad Valmont (Jason Bateman), was born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, living a carefree life in a luxe hotel. One eventful week, he gets tossed out of his suite, falls for the lovely Beatrice (Olivia Wilde) and finds his long-time friendship with Dylan (Billy Crudup) tested.

This is not a Wes Anderson film.
But judging from the soundtrack featuring French pop songs to the wry voice narration to the moments of perfectly art-directed whimsy, one could have sworn that it was the American director at work. The elements are, after all, strongly suggestive of Anderson’s signature style found in movies such as Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001).
Whether writer-director Peter Glanz is an Anderson imitator or admirer, the result is a pleasant enough piece of good-looking fluff.
Given that the protagonist, Conrad Valmont (Bateman), is a self-absorbed man-child, this is no mean feat. Conrad has been seeing a psychiatrist for years, but the only illness he is suffering from is chronic glibness. And after meeting Beatrice, he learns that his best, and possibly only, friend Dylan (Crudup) is also interested in her, but goes after her anyway.
What could so easily have been an insufferable over-privileged character becomes a sympathetic one you actually root for, thanks to the casting of Bateman (from TV’s Arrested Development).
Even when the material is weak, as in Identity Thief (2013), the actor can be counted on to brighten up the screen.
Here, he brings a deftly balanced mix of charm and humour to the role of Conrad and adds just a dollop of snarkiness, without laying it on too thick.
The script has its share of bon mots and witty moments. When Dylan wears a unisex scent for a date, Conrad asks if he actually wants to smell sexually ambiguous.
While Bateman and Wilde (Tron: Legacy, 2010) make for a cute couple despite her enormous fake lashes, which can be a little distracting, the more moving relationship is actually the competitive and mutually envious friendship between Conrad and Dylan.
The film is ostensibly set in New York, though it is less clear when it takes place, as no one seems to own a mobile phone. In a way, that feels right, since The Longest Week takes place in a fantasy world anyway, one that is lovingly burnished until it gives off a soft, seductive glow.
(ST)