Movie Review: 'Becks'

Becks is a wildly charming romantic drama about a woman who goes back to her hometown following a bad break up. Lena Hall stars in the film as Becks and while her story is familiar, her character is wholly original. Hall is funny, smart, sexy and original and if you can get around the familiarity of the storytelling tropes, you will really love this character and her journey.

When we meet Becks she is about to leave New York City for Los Angeles with her longtime girlfriend. The girlfriend has been invited to be part of a reality show for up-and-coming singers and is leaving for L.A early to set up their new home. However, when Becks finally arrives at her supposed new home, she finds her girlfriend has been cheating on her.

With no place to go and little money, Becks has no choice but to return to her hometown of St. Louis where her mother, Ann, played by Christine Lahti, is waiting to take her in. Ann, a former nun, has been trying to be open and accepting of her daughter’s lifestyle, but we can sense the tension between the two almost immediately. Thankfully, her old friend Dave (Dan Fogler) is there to be supportive and give her his bar to perform in.

It is while performing in Dave’s bar that Becks meets Elyse (Mena Suvari). Elyse happens to be the wife of her former High School bully, Mitch (Darren Richie), or Mitch the Bitch, as she used to call him. Mitch once attempted to out Becks at a High School dance, even before Becks herself knew she was gay. This slight has lingered for over a decade even as Mitch has now become a respected and friendly presence around town.

Becks’ lingering resentment toward Mitch, however, is only a minor part of what comes next. Becks and Elyse begin flirting toward something more with Elyse’s bored housewife and Becks’ damaged and lonely single seek comfort in each other, first through Becks’ music and then through so much more. Again, you may recognize what happens next but the characters are strong enough to overcome the familiarity.

Lena Hall is a revelation in Becks. Her work is subtle, smart, funny and sexy. Most importantly, however, is how relatable Becks is. Regardless of gender or sexuality, Becks is a fully formed human being with relatable problems, flaws, and a genuine sense of humor. Hall’s Becks is rounded and grounded and on top of that, she can sing and sing really well.

The music in Becks is fully original and an organic part of the story. It begins with Becks’ exploration of her feelings towards her ex, the complicated love/hate push and pull that has been the center of many great songs over the years. As Becks moves further toward a relationship with Elyse the music becomes more complicated and messy without becoming a clichéd Greek chorus of the events on screen. The music is reminiscent of the similarly romantic and charming music of John Carney’s Once, which also dealt with a complicated romance.

The story is based on the real-life story of singer-songwriter Alyssa Robbins whose music I fell in love with throughout the movie. Her collaboration with Hall is exceptional and teamed with the warm and inviting direction of Daniel Powell and Elizabeth Rohrbaugh, the whole package is incredibly charming. The script was co-written by Rebecca Drysdale, a writer on the FX series Baskets.

Powell, Rohrbaugh, and Drysdale each come from strong comedy backgrounds that include writing and producing gigs on everything from Wet Hot American Summer, Key & Peele, Inside Amy Schumer, and The Daily Show. It’s no wonder they are able to craft characters so terrifically funny and charming. The makers of Becks come from terrific comedy stock but also prove they are more than funny by creating realistically funny and genuinely dramatic scenes and characters.

In the end, however, Becks comes down to the performance of Lena Hall and she simply could not be better. Hall creates Becks from her very soul and I found the performance irresistible. It’s not merely that Hall is attractive, her Becks is so genuine. She feels like a friend from the first moment, even if Becks is that friend that drives you nuts with her occasional flights of selfishness and poor decision making.

Becks is available on all on-demand formats on February 9th.