“Novels are for people who can’t edit themselves.”
It is hard to fairly describe Michael Paul Stephenson’s Girlfriend’s Day without thinking a bit outside the box. Part comedy, part drama and part 70s noir, the film works to give a voice to the often overlooked world of greeting card writers. In the process we are forced to overlook the impact of the digital age and pretend, for at least an hour, that card creators are held in the same high esteem as Pulitzer Prize winners.
Stephenson crafts his story around Bob Odenkirk’s Ray Wentworth, a kind hearted card writer who holds a job in the “romantic” division of the industry. At one time Wentworth was a highly regarded employee, once earning him the industry’s top honor - an accomplishment he refuses to let you forget. But his recent divorce from his wife has thrown a kink into his creativity, giving him a strong case of writers block.
Odenkirk handles his character’s dampened spirits well, giving audiences a fairly unique individual in which to root for as he navigates through the rigors of unemployment and depression. A three month time jump allows for a little more development on that end than would happen otherwise, even if the events that comprise the jump aren’t fully explained.
His “dress the part” mentality and the seriousness that surrounds everyone within the film is what gives the story its particular tone. But that tone quickly falls flat as characters are introduced at random, driving down the film’s overall chemistry.
Stephenson, who is making his narrative debut, often sacrifices story development for the sake of irony, getting lost within the absurdity of the broad stroke storyline.
When the Governor of California (by way of his daughter) announces a new holiday (Girlfriend’s Day) complete with a greeting card contest, Wentworth sees a potential ticket out of the hell that his life has become. But the complex layers that reveal a turf battle between two card companies sends the film into an discerning direction. And though that direction helps to solidify the film’s previously mentioned “noir” inspiration, it does little for the development of the story or its main players.
The contest, which is only open to amateurs and out-of-work professionals, pits Ray against one time co-worker Taft. But late one night Ray discovers that his main competition has been murdered in cold blood, showing everyone that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to the seemingly simple town that idolizes greeting card writers.
Supporting work by Amber Tamblyn and Stacy Keach is acceptable, but neither are given much material with which to work. Natasha Lyonne’s single scene, though fine in context, is also a prime example of a painful waste of talent. In fact that wastefulness is spread amongst much of the cast, all of whom show little development during the film’s pivotal third act.
The film does contain the occasional bright spot, most notably during Echo Kellum’s poetry readings and a rather unexpected (though well played) segment involving a pair of rehabilitating racist. Sadly those flashes of brilliance are unable to save the film from resembling a second tier Hallmark Channel movie. At just over sixty-five minutes the reality of that option isn’t too far fetched.
*Girlfriend’s Day, a Netflix Original, is now available through the streaming service.
