Spivak (2018) User Reviews

Surreal - Probably

[richard-fieldhouse · 7/10 · 22 May 2018]

Wally Spivak (Michael Bacall) is a small time writer - uncool and unpublished. His "friends" who aren't much more cool than Wally themselves, still needle him incessantly that he just keeps redrafting the same manuscript. Alone at an all but deserted bar on Valentines night he's unexpectedly picked up by Jannine (Maggie Lawson), a totally cool girl from very much the other side of town. What is going on?

Enter Chuck (Robert Kazinsky), the irrepressible British golf pro harbouring a secret yearning for literature - a character so unlikely that the word surreal comes to mind. Despite the inexhaustible good humour and generosity of the new rich kids in his life, Wally is still overthinking - sure there must be a downside just around the corner.

Like an author's dream, the vein of surrealism persists, but everyone acts their part with conviction and we're carried along by the unlikely train of events. We shouldn't be overthinking either, just taking in the entertainment and enjoying the ride.

Surprisingly endearing character !

[lucienm-60321 · 7/10 · 19 July 2022]

The main character is frustrating to watch.... self pity, aimless, losing attitude.... until slowly but surely his life turns around when he meets people completely at the other end of life spectrum !

Cute, Quirky, Predictable

[Bighead55555 · 7/10 · 5 July 2020]

Offbeat, small budget rom-com starring Chris Kattan's vestigal twin. While cloyingly eccentric, the main plot is time-worn and used up. Insecure, blocked-up writer with a permanent "constipation-face" meets woman (who in reality would never give him the time of day) in an unlikely fashion. She's engaged to a studly, dim-bulb golf pro. Wacky hijinks ensue, rocketing to a predictable conclusion. No belly laughs, but nothing objectionable either. I thought of two endings that could've made this stand out a bit more, but a happy ending must be more bankable. Unfortunately, the ending destroys the quirky ambiance.

cute little film

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 22 March 2023]

Wally is a loner and an aspiring writer. I'm not a psychiatrist, but he appears to have major self esteem issues, and seems to be depressed over not being published. But he's so young! Very few people have been published! His housemates drag him out to dinner, where he meets a beautiful, popular girl. They hook up. And little by little, he comes out of his shell, and starts taking chances. And this changes his whole life! A cute, quirky, little film. Kind of just rolls along... more of a thinker film, but it's quite good. It didn't win any awards, but has the feel of being someone's (unlikely) actual life experience.maybe jazzed up, for poetic license. The couple engaged to be married really go out of their way to be friends with him, given the circumstances they really encourage him in ways most people just don't. At least in my own experience. They completely ignore his loner tendancies and introduce him around. It's cute. Co written and directed by anthony abrams, adam brode. Showing on the flix!

Not bad - Could have been much worse

[disturbedtool68 · 6/10 · 7 June 2018]

This one could have easily fell into the same trap of so many low budget slacker comedies. Cliched gamers sitting on the couch, cocky sarcastic losers, sexual innuendos, etc. Thankfully they actually avoided those things. This movie tends to teeter on complete farce and romantic comedy. It works on that level. There are some laugh out loud moments like the empty Vegas club with the pulsating music, and some brief tender moments when the golfer tells him how much he loves the book, and he 'gets' it. And it's sort of fun watching the story play out. So there are some redeeming factors. But where this movie, and so many others, fail is that they present what is basically a depressed sad sack loser who never says anything funny, brilliant or really insightful, yet for some reason two hot babes, one is a Laker girl, are able to see through all that, see him for what he is and they fall for him. I think that's very lazy writing. Anyone can fall for anyone, but there ARE reasons. There was nothing in this dude that any women would really like, let alone an upper class babe or a hot dancing Laker girl.

Dumb story that doesn't make any sense, annoying characters.

[deloudelouvain · 4/10 · 17 June 2020]

I'm still waiting for the comedy, that resumes this movie. There's absolutely nothing funny about Spivak or maybe I just didn't get the humor, that's also a possibility but I highly doubt it. Spivak is an ugly negative person played by Michael Bacall. He's surrounded by positive people that apparently don't see how ugly and negative he is, and that was for me the thing I hated the most about this movie. You're not going to fall in love with a person like that, that just doesn't make any sense and for that alone this movie is just dumb. Spivak having pity sex with a goodlooking woman, Spivak dating a beautiful Laker girl, they apparently both fall for his charms, whilst he's the most annoying and petulant character possible, it's just too ridiculous for words. The acting isn't that bad though, the story is. Don't read the positive reviews, to me they're fake.

Weird guy looking for ...

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 11 October 2018]

Writer's block ... it's when you can't perform. That obviously nags at you and your confindence. It also will influence your real life and how you deal with other people. And while that rings true and is depicted nicely here, there are moments where you might hate the leading character for the choices he takes. Choices that not only have impact on his life, but the life of the individuals he calls friends and with whom he lives.

Now overall there is not too much to think about in this movie. The moral point is clear and you know where this is heading. But the characters are really nicely drawn - in a weird and akward way, but still nice and with love. If that sounds like something you may enjoy in a crazy "romantic" comedy (life drama), then you will be entertained by this. Truths are there for those who live in a similar mind set obviously ...

Depressing and insufferable

[JShaft33 · 2/10 · 18 November 2019]

10/10 votes must be mostly fake. If you're going to fluff up a score - at least give it 7's or 8's so it gives the allusion of being real. The main character is drowned in self-loathing and makes me want to punch him. He feels sorry for himself and refuses to accept the help people (for some reason) continue to give him.

I did not find anything insightful from this film other than what kind of person to not be.

main character is utterly negative.

[iamkilix · 1/10 · 27 May 2018]

I had hard time enduring his depressed and annoyed face. very good at expressing negativity. I couldn't take it.

Surprising!

[luriemark · 9/10 · 11 May 2018]

A friend of mine told me to check out Spivak and, after a bit of hesitation, I decided to give it a try. I was really surprised! The movie is so charming, off-beat, smart, and unpredictable. The story is about this really bad unpublished writer who suffers through life around Los Angeles amidst these crazy characters who all try to help him even when he doesn't want to be helped. The grumpy guy who plays Spivak turns out to be pretty adorable, but the peripheral performances steal the show. The British guy who plays the golf pro Chuck gives a great performance as a jock who dreams of being an intellectual. Michael Cera has a small supporting part as Spivak's successful adversary. He's pretty funny in here as well. Anyway, I really recommend this movie. It's fun!

He's such a miserable human

[tarmar-125-253393 · 4/10 · 2 September 2020]

But I can't stop letting it run here on my computer. Something pleasant (but totally unbelievable) has to happen.

Stupid

[cata_tcl · 1/10 · 31 May 2018]

Horrible movie. Post 90 minutes of my life watching this junk movie

Too Ridiculous to Endure

[john.schneider · 1/10 · 28 May 2018]

I finally couldn't take it, I had to stop after the Laker Girls went to his apartment. Its not that the acting is bad, and its really not that the premise is too strange, its just that the vehicle the actors are given is too ridiculous and taken to painful conclusions. A comedy this certainly is not, maybe it has to do with the fact that it was written by a 2 person committee. I suppose in the hands of a single competent script writer the concept could have fared better rather than realizing such a horrible death, but I gave up hope about halfway through realizing nothing could salvage this mess.

whorrible

[hwiteknight · 1/10 · 20 February 2019]

I have a problem with the main actor who is so unbelievably ugly and a bad actor how on earth he got the part is beyond me. he is unlikable he doesn't have anything you'd look for in an actor no sarcasm no interesting traits no sense of humor and he doesn't even make any effort in acting at least a little he looks extremely bored why did they pick this guy? horrible. and then there is this whole cuckold stuff i was laughing the entire time WOW what a brilliant innovative writer / director. 0/10

Every writer's dream in a very real way

[siderite · 8/10 · 20 May 2018]

Spivak is a tiny ugly man who is constantly humiliated by life. His only ambition, to be a writer, is thwarted by his biggest critic: himself, as he writes and rewrites the same novel, to the cruel delight of the mean people around him. Single on a Valentine's Day, he is suddenly approached by a gorgeous girl who asks him to spend the night with her. This changes his life, to his great chagrin and ultimately delight, transforming him from a hateful frustrated little man into a relaxed and positive success.

I liked the way it was played. I have to say most of the scenes were really painful, as the actors all did very well and you could understand the main character's confusion, fear, shame and pain. The moral of the story has to be that you're doing it to yourself, as a bunch of beautiful rich people attempt again and again to make his life better, while he just fears that he doesn't deserve it.

While Michael Bacall did great as the titular character, I would say that most of the movie was carried by Robert Kazinsky's Chuck, a guy so sickeningly positive that you can't but doubt his good honest intentions. It's a strange movie to see. If Spivak wasn't so monstrously unlovable, the movie would have been more credible and easier to swallow. As such, I can only perceive it as a writer's dream, free of all pretenses. Or maybe that's my inner frustrated little man, unable to accept the possible beauty of the world. You decide, as you watch the film. It provides more questions than answers, and that's the whole point.

Ummm...

[titanslife_6 · 3/10 · 23 October 2019]

I truly have no idea what this movie was supposed to be. I watched it all the way through and the tone was about as flat as possible, from start to finish. The lead actor was just bad, he made me uncomfortable annoyed me by the "whoa is me" persona. I gave it a 3 instead of a 1 because the supporting cast were actually very entertaining but mopy ugly (literally ugly) face stopped any momentum with bad acting and writing for his character. Again, the writing was bizarre and to far fetched to be remotely believable but like I said the supporting actors gave me a cpl of chuckles.

woody Allen did it better

[abwetman-1-817328 · 4/10 · 7 August 2021]

The wrier getting the much pretty girl was best done by woody Allen in Anne Hall.

Because Spivak is made up to be repulsively ugly no one would believe not on but two beautiful women have sex with him. The film goes from weird to farce.

Not great.

Quirky idea...

[DukeEman · 5/10 · 18 May 2018]

Interesting premise that hooked me in. It began as a wacky quirky piece but seemed to run out of ideas until the last thirty minutes which kind of drew me back in.

I guess I was put off by the protagonist, likable at start but his sour face just went on for too long and became frustrating. And by the third act he kind of came around, but I lost interest by then. The supporting characters were more engaging and kept me in there.

Still a small film with wonderful ideas that came alive in the last stanza that should have been the tone for the whole film from the beginning.

An embarrassing attempt at film

[cimex-15004 · 1/10 · 4 September 2023]

Very boring unclear storyline with no character arcs. They also patronise the audience a lot by having the main character read out e-mails aloud to himself while he's alone. Is this a comedy or a drama? Cos it's definitely not funny, and not dramatic.

All of this aside though, the main reason I found this difficult tk get through, is that the main character (Wally or whatever his name is...) is simply not likeable in any way shape or form. He is moody, especially to his friends for no real reason. He is needy, and also seems desperate and judgemental It's just not believable that a character like this would get a girl like this, and his screen presence certainly doesn't make the audience role for his success...

Heartbreak Kid Redux

[Clare40 · 10/10 · 20 February 2019]

This movie totally reminded me of Elaine May's The Heartbreak Kid. It had the same tone. It had the same under the radar humor. It had the same emotional longing. Kudos to all involved! I had the grandest time watching it. You just don't see idiosyncratic movies like this anymore. What a shame.

Uninspired, unbelievable and impossible to care about.

[curcicstefan · 2/10 · 18 June 2022]

Wally Spivak is a middle-aged, scrawny, (allegedly) 5'7 man with objectively unappealing looks and a most terribly miserable, pessimistic and dour aura. He possesses all the charm of an incontinent chihuahua yet for some inexplicable reason he manages to bed a gorgeous woman named Jeanine played by Maggie Lawson, befriend her jock Brit fiance Chuck played by Robert Kazinsky and then bed Jeanine's best friend Tammy (a Laker girl no less!) played by Ahna O'Reilly.

It seems to bother no one around Wally that he has no redeemable qualities, that he is sour and bitter at the world for his lack of success in life. He seems to feel entitled to having all of his wildest dreams met as he mopes around fecklessly, barely managing to utter a full sentence when someone speaks to him. Instead starring back at them vacantly as if he had soiled himself and desperately needed to go home to clean himself up.

He pines for a beautiful wife, a best-selling book and the respect of his peers and is resentful of anyone who has managed to attain these things. Perhaps the most infuriating thing about this movie is that Wally gets everything he wants without ever putting anything on the line for it and without possessing any of the qualities one would need to achieve those ambitions. Maybe this story is just the amalgamated, longwinded fantasies of the creators Anthony Abrams and Adam Larson Broder? Perhaps they have felt like a "Spivak" in their own lives, tired of seeing the "jock" get the girls and the success.

The only interesting character in the whole story remarkably was Chuck! Falling well into the "jock" trope, Chuck is a golf pro who is good-looking, well-built and confident. But he seems to be searching for something more out of himself and is unhappy just going along with the status quo. A beautiful girl, a great job, a nice home and a fast car don't seem to fulfil Chuck. He wants to be challenged and takes a series of gambles in hopes of shaking up his life. We see him transform from a preppy, country club yuppy into a thoughtful, introspective and curious free spirit, willing to take risks in order to grow as a person. Chuck is the main driving force behind the whole movie and one could even argue that this movie is actually all about Chuck, as even the final scene ends with him cathartically expanding his horizons in China.

There's a good way of making this kind of underdog movie where the Woody Allanesque character gets the girl and the money in the end but that has to come with some sort of real character progression that is carefully written. Sadly Spivak offers us none of this and we are asked to believe that such an unredeemable character can just chance his way into all of his wildest hopes and dreams. I ain't buying it. Especially when the direction, writing and acting are as forced and uninspired as they are in this movie.

Thoughtful, funny film

[taylorleigh-30755 · 10/10 · 13 May 2018]

Great movie about the roles in which we get stuck and how we perceive others. Done in a very unique, comic way. The cast fits their types perfectly.

Wonderful music, too.

Strangely Endearing

[BarLund22 · 10/10 · 28 May 2018]

I didn't know what to think when I started watching this movie. The set up is so odd - this incredibly depressed, self-loathing writer, Wally Spivak, is essentially kidnapped and taken to Las Vegas against his will - - on Valentine's night!? And then, in a depressingly empty Valentine's themed Las Vegas dance club, the movie hooked me! In one of the most mesmerizingly beautiful, funny, yet melancholy "meet scenes" I've ever watched, Wally encounters what seems to be an apparition. This beautiful soulful blonde woman, Jeanine, timidly invites him to her hotel room. What follows is one of the craziest, most original love stories you'll ever see. You see, love is a theme here. Not just the obvious love of the opposite sex - but love in general - of art, friends, life, and, most importantly, of oneself. Wally, the writer, is put through the mill by a cast of wonderfully eccentric characters (some eccentrically odd; others eccentrically normal!) and comes out the other side a changed man. This is a movie for anyone familiar with being stuck in the mire and dreams of climbing out!

Thought provoking

[warrengrantza · 10/10 · 22 May 2018]

I would say this film is a insightful gem, with raw truths, easy to watch nicely paced, well acted, reflects life's frustrations.

One of a Kind

[suelons · 10/10 · 22 June 2018]

Excellent Film. Irony with a capital I! The humor can be subtle but it's definitely the funniest film I've seen this year.