Appropriate Behavior (2014) User Reviews

nice indie debut

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 27 November 2015]

In Brooklyn, Shirin is lost after breaking up with her girlfriend Maxine. She's got a Masters in journalism but no job. Her Persian family doesn't know about her bisexuality. Her brother is annoyingly successful. Her boy-crazy friend Crystal recommends her to Ken (Scott Adsit) for a job teaching movie-making to kids but it turns out to be more like daycare. There are constant flashbacks to her relationship with Maxine as she tries to move on with other people.

At its heart, the movie is the traditional single-gal-in-the-city. Desiree Akhavan infuses it with a little bit of a Persian family and bisexuality which keeps it fresh. Her writing is pretty good especially for her theatrical debut. There are a couple of really good laughs. Buying a bra scene is really funny with Crystal's reactions. I also love her mother's reaction to her coming out. Desiree's acting is pretty good but not great. Overall, this is a nice little angsty indie and hopefully this is the start of an interesting new voice.

Why movies written, directed, and starring the same person don't work.

[Red-125 · 6/10 · 24 October 2014]

Appropriate Behavior (2014) is a self-serving film writing by, directed by, and starring Desiree Akhaven. The movie follows Shirin, a twenty-something woman, who is tall, beautiful, bisexual, and of Iranian heritage. Sounds interesting, right? Wrong.

Shirin doesn't appear to have any connection to anything other than herself and her love life. We never see her display any interest in art, music, or theater. She isn't interested in politics or human rights. She's not particularly interested in her Iranian cultural heritage, except to decry it. She scorns her brother's perfect traditional fiancée, without realizing that this beautiful young woman is a pediatric plastic surgeon, specializing in burns.

OK--What is it that Shirin really likes? Drinking, dancing, and sex. Not too impressive a résumé, in my opinion. So . . . If you think you'll be charmed by a move with Shirin at its center, this is the film for you. If not, make a different choice. If you choose to see it, it will work well on DVD. We saw it at The Little Theatre as part of the fine ImageOut, the Rochester LGBT Film Festival.

Entertaining

[ciffou · 26 June 2020]

I will admit that its weakest part is character development, fleshing out supporting charcters and its pointless ending, however it is entertaining and makes you laugh. I love that it did not take itself seriously and, as a non-white person, you understand where she is coming from in terms of her family, she is not an annoying Hanna from Girls or an annoying Frances Ha. Culture plays a role and, more importantly, there are other characters pointing her flaws, as well. I love that she was bi and in a relationship with a woman and not a cheater. Impressive enough on itself in terms of representation. I just had fun. I only wish the ending were not so meh.

A slow build

[bettyguertler · 6/10 · 29 August 2015]

I was excited to see this indie and for a low budget film in NYC it is quite well done. Being that is was a Sundance film I was expecting something really revelatory. Unfortunately it really wasn't. It took a long time to get going. The whole first half of the film was essentially exposition in the form of complaining. Nothing was really happening to the characters. They weren't doing or experiencing anything. Instead we learn the characters history as she complains about losing her girlfriend to friends and deals with her family dynamic. While none of that is bad per say, it certainly wasn't that engaging.

The film picks up speed after that and we get to see our lead actually experience things. However the star/writer/director utilizes flashbacks to tell the tale of how she got here, but the cuts backward and forward have no style, they are just cuts. So the film feels awkward and you get confused as to where you are in time too easily. Maybe it was intentional, as the lead is really off kilter as her life is put in shambles. But for this viewer, it didn't really work. You always eventually figure out where the timeline is, but it takes a while into each new scene to know. There are many ways to make flashbacks and jumping around in time work for an audience, but none of them are used and therefore it's all just basic editing and cutting and it feels clunky.

In conclusion, this is a competent first feature. You have to commend anyone who finishes a feature and does so competently. It isn't a perfect movie, but what is? It could have used some more work with the script and structure. Visually it's fine, but again not a revelation in indie cinematography. Can't really fault them for that though, as you only have just so many locations and it is mostly people talking. If you get too artsy with that it can be detrimental to the simple story being told. If you like indies and new filmmakers you could definitely do worse, but you can also definitely do better. For other films in this vein, millennial, edgy indie, OBVIOUS CHILD is far stronger.

More fun than I expected - an impressive first film

[runamokprods · 9/10 · 31 January 2015]

I make an effort not to know too much about a film before I see it. That helps me have an experience less tainted by expectations, but it can also lead me to silly snap judgments that are dead wrong.

After a few minutes I'd decided that Desiree Akhavan's Appropriate Behavior was just another in a long string of low budget 20- something self-involved dramedies I've seen in the last couple of years. But by the end I realized that Akhavan had taken that trope, and run her own unique and very funny spin on it. And the humor was a big part of what made it special. This movie was flat out funny. It wasn't afraid of being absurd or larger than life, or actively witty. It was intensely human and touching at times, but it also had great comic timing. In that respect Ahkavan's cinematic view of life and relationships in New York has more in common with Woody Allen circa Annie Hall and Manhattan than most mumblecore we've grown used to. She also created a unusually lovable (if self-sabotaging) main character for herself in Shirin; a bi-sexual young Iranian woman still in the closet to her parents, and attempting to recover from a painful breakup.

Shirin doesn't really fit in anywhere. Because she's bi, lesbians (including the woman who broke her heart) view her with suspicion, assuming she's 'just visiting' relationships with women. Her parents keep waiting for her to meet a nice boy. She feels estranged from the Iranian-American culture she grew up with, but she's not as self-consciously hip and cool as the hipster poseurs she's surrounded by. And she has a knack for making some comic but awful life decisions, from a painfully failed threesome, to a gig teaching film-making to disinterested 5 year olds.

This is a rueful and smart film about how screwed up and alone we all are… and yet how sweet life is in it's sad and silly way. It's an impressive calling card for Akhavan, and I'm looking forward to seeing what she does next.

Follow up -- I saw this again, sharing it with some friends, and found it only grew on me. I was even more touched by the sweet heart at the middle of the comedy.

Self-indulgent Sundance debut

[ReganRebecca · 5/10 · 25 June 2017]

There's a certain type of movie that Sundance always selects: quirky comedies about lovable oddballs who are in the middle of a crisis and want everyone to know about it. This is Appropriate Behavior. I will say in its favour that there isn't enough bisexual representation in cinema nor is there enough about American- Iranians. This has both, but at the same time writer director Desiree Akhavan doesn't want to examine either aspect in depth. This is both refreshing because these aspects of lead character Shirin's identity are assured aspects of who she is and aren't part of her crisis, and frustrating because aside from these elements there is nothing that makes this movie stand out in any way from the quirky indie comedies that come out every year from Sundance.

Behavior is about Shirin (played by Akhavan). Recently having broken up with the live-in girlfriend her conservative Persian parents thought was her "roommate" the film plays in pieces as we watch Akhavan try to put her life back together without the woman who defined so much of it. As a bonus we are also treated to flashbacks of the rise and fall of her relationship with her ex. It is... not very exciting.

The film is written with so many pithy one liners you can tell it was written to death. This makes for great screencaps and dialogue you can use as gif sets but as an overarching script with characterization not so much. The narrative is fairly elegantly sliced and diced so that you get just the right amount of mix of past and present but at the same time... Just who cares? This feels directly aimed at a group of lost 20 somethings stumbling their way through life, but as a lost 20 something myself I'm sick of seeing these kind of movies (always set in NYC!) and the individual scenes don't really do anything for me. There are still some aspects that make this movie watchable: a threesome that goes wrong (I'm always partial to sex scenes that are good and by good I mean manage to maintain the flow of the story. So many movies just have all plot and emotion stop to get a few thrusts in. Akhavan understands how to continue to build the narrative using the sex scene). The ending of the film is very cathartic and pitch perfect as well.

How Akhavan manages to nail some of the most difficult aspects of filmmaking while flubbing the middle is beyond me. It gives me hope however that she'll continue to improve.

Heartbroken woman makes a lot of bad/ funny decisions

[crystalmh3698 · 10/10 · 2 July 2014]

I saw this film at Frameline 38 on June 27, 2014 at 7 pm in San Francisco at the amazing Castro Theater. Writer, director and lead actress Desiree Akhavan shows us the story of Shirin who is a wonderful, loving, flawed, fragile, F**ked up human being just like the rest of us. She will not get over her ex-girlfriend, she looks for love in all the wrong places (with hilarious results) and has very limited success when trying to come out to her family who have a selective hearing problem. The Q & A after the film was wonderful and Ms. Akhavan is clearly the Queer, Persian equivalent of Sandra Bullock - funny, talented, charming, intelligent, beautiful and very comfortable with her awkwardness. Absolutely delightful - go see this film.

A good idea wasted on superficialities.

[rjones64 · 5/10 · 3 December 2014]

"Appropriate Behavior" had all the ingredients I look for in an indie movie. It had characters on the margins of society in Shirin, a bisexual young woman living in New York City and of Iranian descent. It involved locations I will never know well, the aforementioned New York City as seen by the young and tragically hip. It explores a culture of which I'm not a part, that of the young bisexual/gay/lesbian/transgender person living in a big city.

Etc. etc. etc.

I was all ready to enjoy the heck out of this film at the Key West Film Festival in November 2014. I even skipped another movie that my group was attending and which sounded great. All so I could see something I normally wouldn't have seen in the theaters.

I wish I'd gone with my group. Even worse, I managed to talk someone out of going with me instead of with the others and so I felt bad about steering her wrong.

While the set up was all there, the execution sure wasn't. The main character truly only seemed interested in her own love life and gave no thought, nor screen time to anything else.

For instance, her brother the doctor seemed to have an interesting side plot going on, but the movie never seemed interested in doing more than teasing the viewers. The main character's coming out to her conservative parents was hinted about and teased, but then given all the pomp and attention of a wet noodle going down the drain.

Even worse, the main character was supposed to have a lead-in-to-the-third-act epiphany that led to her making changes and sowing the seeds for a happy ending. After our showing ended, the folks in my theater all talked about the movie and none of us had any clue about what the epiphany was supposed to be. Nor could we understand why or how the main character effected the change necessary for that happy ending.

So many wasted ideas, so little fleshing out done. In the end, there was not enough reason for us to care.

I gave this a five because I thought the acting and cinematography were relatively professional. Too bad neither were given enough substantial plot nor complications to help them live up to their potential.

Pleasantly real

[nicolemnesbitt · 8/10 · 21 January 2015]

I'm not one for lengthy reviews. I thought it was an interesting slice of life. Pretty close to reality for a gal of this age in NYC.

Like the rest of us, this character is just trying to figure it all out. She's flawed in a number of ways and watching her try and just make it through the day is mildly uncomfortable and usually quite funny.

A lot of these reviews are calling this a "hipster" or "shallow" film and I have to disagree. In fact, I don't think these people know what a hipster really is because this movie doesn't depict that at all. If anything, it's more about the lost generation of GEN Y. Those of us who are too old to be hip and too young to have truly lived in the grunge life. The generation that should probably have it figured out by now, but we don't. And that's okay. The title character, Sherin, is exactly that.

It didn't strike me as the kind of movie that was supposed to leave you feeling like a new person with a whole new outlook on life. It was just one girl's well told story.

Girls, Boys, Girls and Boys

[ferguson-6 · 5/10 · 4 January 2015]

Greetings again from the darkness. It's finally here! That is, if you have been anxiously awaiting a twist in the New York hipster Romantic Dramedy genre; and if the twist you want is a semi-autobiographical story of a Persian bi-sexual female whose focus in life is making her ex-partner jealous, while hiding the truth from her own conservative parents.

Desiree Akhavan is the first time writer/director who also stars as Shirin, the lead character described above. Ms. Akhavan and the movie owe so much to Lena Dunham ("Girls") that the opening credits should have had a placard stating "Inspired by Lena". There is no shame in crediting those who influence one's work. We also see touches of Woody Allen and Nia Vardalos in Akhavan's writing, and Greta Gerwig in her acting style. What we haven't seen before, is an opening scene depicting the leading character breaking up with her partner and walking down the street toting her strap-on.

Shirin is a twenty-something New Yorker who is insecure and judgmental, cynical yet hopeful, lacking in self-esteem, without any discernible professional talent or social skills, and void of any ambition … other than making her ex, Maxine (Rebecca Henderson) so jealous that she will come running back. Her "plan" is to sleep with many strangers of both sexes until one of these trysts makes Maxine see that she can't live without Shirin. She does all of this while dodging poverty working at a kindergarten teaching filmmaking to 5 year olds. We are told Shirin has a Masters in Journalism, just so we understand she has chosen this path in life.

As a filmmaker, Ms. Akhavan shows real promise. Her feel and eye for crucial scenes between two people is very strong, though the dialogue could have used some help – many of the one-liners probably sounded funnier in her head than they come across on screen. Her use of flashbacks was especially creative as she juxtaposed good and bad moments of Shirin/Maxine with what's happening at any given moment. The sexual escapades and the unique community of New York hipsters will probably prevent this from any type of mainstream success, but it should provide opportunities for Akhavan as a filmmaker. Not surprisingly, as an actress, she will be appearing in the next season of "Girls".

The Persian undercurrent seemed to provide the most potential for a real story of interest, though the focus on bi-sexuality more readily grabs headlines. Shirin's relationship with her parents and the Iranian community offered a chance for illumination and unique exchanges, but unfortunately most of these were glossed over for the next party or pick-up. "Persians communicate mostly through gossip" is a fascinating line that begged for more attention, and Shirin's attempt to come out while talking with her mom was well done and so deserved a follow up.

Supporting work is provided by Halley Feiffer (daughter of Jules Feiffer) as Shirin's best friend Crystal. Ms. Feiffer steals every scene in which she appears, and had me wanting to learn more about her character. Scott Adsit ("30 Rock") plays the urban-stoner dad who gets Shirin her the teaching job that leads to the "Tale of the Lost Fart" – the turning point for Shirin as she finally reaches the moment when she realizes she has gotten over Maxine. The first film from an exciting new talent always brings a balance of anticipation and a reminder to keep our hopes in check. Here's hoping Desiree Akhavan has more to say.

Is this Appropriate Behaviour?!

[LesflicksLtd · 9/10 · 4 July 2015]

A break up movie with difference, told with on point narrative form and a blazing Independent spirt, this movie is about the journey to post-break up redemption.

With current day exploits as Shirin deals with the madness of the relationship break up grieving process, the audience is drawn in to cleverly juxtaposed vignettes that adeptly portray and dissect the reality of the relationship itself from start to finish.

At the same time, Shirin finds a new job that offers the opportunity for some personal growth as she reflects on the behaviour of 5-year-olds and has to play the grown up to them, learning there is always a time for play as well as a time for maturity. She eventually learns to face up to coming out to her family and the closure of the relationship.

Some beautiful and moving moments, perfectly flawed characters, laugh out loud awkwardness, as well as a gentle edgy tone that together create a totally appropriate feature debut for Akhavan.

Enjoyable, well directed but somewhat cliche NYC comedy

[the_lotus_eater-844-56911 · 5/10 · 5 June 2020]

The films major strength are the performances. The main characters feel well fleshed out and are more complicated. They have differing views on sexuality and life, and you can see their relationship working and failing in real life.

The majority of the accompanying cast, whilst primarily only serving the scene they're in are usually within a well written scenario that either aids the story or humour. However the men are usually depicted as largely braindead. This wouldn't be an issue if the protagonist wasn't supposed to be bisexual (however I will concede that may be the point, that she's only labelling herself as such due to social pressures. But if it is the film is too ambiguous).

The films humour is a bit hit and miss. The parts that miss are the cliche 'saying something semi-outlandish and then it's awkward' or 'making a snarky judgment on someone and then have them reveal how noble they are' but they worst jokes are they jabs at NYC hipsterdom, mainly because the film doesn't seem to have the self awareness to realise all the characters are those personalities. The humour that works (aside from the kids film) is when the characters are just talking and adds a great deal of authenticity to the film.

The story follows a scene pattern that becomes dull fairly quickly (bar/event, meet x, hookup, flashback), but is just clever enough and well written to keep you watching. It's also not that long.

Great Movie

[dodde-924-811259 · 9/10 · 3 February 2015]

This movie is excellent. It's about love, coming of age, queerness, straightness, New York (mostly Brooklyn), living with immigrant parents, so many things. The story telling is unique, witty, and pretty funny. Very dry humor.

My one criticism is the chronology. The film could have been either more linear or more clear about the timeline. Although I will say that the editing style was very unique and I enjoyed the lack of Hollywood style conformity.

All in all I give this film a solid A. If you like indie films and NY and the story of people's sexuality and life exploration this is a gem.

shallow

[jax1492 · 2/10 · 19 January 2015]

The movie is a bit different from the normal fish out of water movies, because Shirin is so confused that its all about self loathing.

The film promotes being gay as something we should feel so bad for it would seem, but the problem is Shirin is so shallow and unlikable, you forget she is gay or Iranian or whatever, and just don't really care at all.

the tag line is about how Shirin doesn't want to be a cliché, well ... she failed cause its nothing more than a bitter, hipster, lesbian, self race hating character ... don't see this film, its not funny or redeeming.

A new film star has been born!

[margru22-484-125518 · 9/10 · 24 July 2015]

A new film-making star has been born! This is not an indie movie, this is not an LGBT movie, this is simply great! Ms. Akhavan is so talented on so many levels. This stuff is much better than "Girls" and other similar indie pretentious accounts of white middle-class daughters whose biggest problem in life is that their boyfriends are more handsome than themselves, which makes these girls bloody insecure, and than they comfort themselves with some trashy losers from the street.

I love this movie, because it is totally post-indie and post-everything production. Shirin is seemingly a girl who has everything, looks and brain, and even pleasant and pretty nice parents, but who still has real, depressing problem. Her problem is that, due to her age, education and ways of socialisation she is caught up between rapid identity liberalisation, feminism, sexual freedom, on the one hand, and still remains of firm traditional identity constrains, that come from her family background, on the other hand. This is so much a story of current second generation immigrants everywhere in USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Scandinavia, etc.Her family is so typical for North American immigrants - they seem to be worldly people, but actually they still know only their original ways and hold on them, as the only source of security. Being familiar to that community, I am so proud someone has finally started telling this story, in relation to NY and these, youngest generation.

The second layer of the story, the tension between lesbianism, and bisexuality, is also done very interestingly. It also deconstructs in very subtle way the fashionable urban myth of "bisexuality", as something that is cool for every woman, and belief that, after being in love with a woman, bisexual girls can always successfully replace her with a hot guy, or threesome. Shirin's character so obviously demonstrates that "bisexuality" does not help when a woman loses another woman whom she loves. I actually liked sex scenes a lot in this movie, they were so effective and graphic. I simply can't believe the same person who acted in them, also directed them.

I also like the interesting anatomy of her relationship with Maxin, who is seemingly a dorky, unattractive and insecure girl, but actually much stronger than she looks like, and, a real, genuine love of Shirin. Striking contrast between their looks and styles is a great accent in the movie: it underlines the strength of love.

And finally, the humor in the movie does not undermine the seriousness of the issue. Conflict with a loving family, which denies the crucial issues of their children, is one of the most painful features of current adulthood, no matter how emancipated and self-focused those people in question are.

There are scenes that could have been improved, and we could have seen more of a Shirin's non-Persian friends, who definitely must have influenced her in life. Also, some situations with family could have been more elaborated. Still, this is incomparably better than "Girls", so I hope that this talented young woman will get at least as much chance in this business as a person who wrote "Girls" has got, and I am sure, the screen result will be much more interesting. Kudos to Ms. Akhavan!