Life Partners

Life Partners is a 2014 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Susanna Fogel and co-written with Joni Lefkowitz. It is Fogel's feature film directorial debut. The film stars Leighton Meester, Gillian Jacobs, Adam Brody, Greer Grammer, Gabourey Sidibe, and Julie White. The film premiered on April 18, 2014, at the Tribeca Film Festival in the Spotlight section.[2][3] The film was released on demand platforms on November 6, 2014, and in select theaters on December 5, 2014.[4]

For other uses, see life partner (disambiguation).
Life Partners
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySusanna Fogel
Produced by
  • Brendan Bragg
  • Jordana Mollick
  • Joni Lefkowitz
  • Riva Marker
  • Daniela Taplin Lundberg
Written by
  • Susanna Fogel
  • Joni Lefkowitz
Starring
Music byEric D. Johnson
CinematographyBrian Burgoyne
Edited byKiran Pallegadda
Production
companies
  • Black Sheep Entertainment
  • Minerva Productions
  • Sandia Media
Distributed byMagnolia Pictures
Release date
  • April 18, 2014 (2014-04-18) (Tribeca)
  • December 5, 2014 (2014-12-05) (United States)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$8,265[1]

Plot

Paige, an environmental lawyer, and Sasha, a struggling musician working as a receptionist, are two best friends in their late 20s. After forcing themselves to try online dating one night, they go on separate dates. Sasha's ends in disaster, while Paige has a good date with Tim, a young and charming doctor.

Sasha continues to have a string of bad dates and failed relationships while Paige and Tim continue dating. Tim eventually proposes to Paige and she accepts. Sasha begins to feel excluded as Paige begins to focus more on Tim and their relationship, while Paige begins to feel that Sasha is childish as Paige hates the girls Sasha dates and does not think much of her lack of direction. At a barbecue that Paige and Tim host, they try to set up Sasha with a woman they think of as kind and reliable. When Sasha blows her off, Paige and Sasha have a falling-out and stop speaking to one another.

Sasha gets fired from her job over her poor performance. She later runs into Tim who is also having a difficult time in his relationship with Paige who is constantly trying to control him and refuses to apologize. While there, Tim also tells Sasha that it is fine for her to give up on her dream of being a musician if that is no longer what she is passionate about. The conversation leaves Sasha with a better impression of Tim.

Realizing that she is too stubborn, Paige apologizes to Tim. Sometime later as she is driving her car, she sees Sasha out driving. The two begin to honk at each other and shout at each other in pretend anger, a joke that they played on one another when they were friends.

Cast

Production

Susanna Fogel and Joni Lefkowitz met in 2002 at a sketch comedy writing class and became friends.[5] Lefkowitz and Fogel both starred in the 2008 web series Joni & Susanna.[6]

The film is an adaptation of the play Life Partners, written by Lefkowitz and Fogel based on their friendship and similar to the one depicted in Walking and Talking by Nicole Holofcener.[5] In 2011, the play, starring Amanda Walsh and Shannon Woodward,[6] was created and premiered as part of one-act play series Unscreened,[5] which develops and produces world-premiere short plays by some of Hollywood's fastest-rising writers and featuring multi-star casts. In the aftermath of its success, producer Jordana Mollick approached the pair to consider adapting the play into a feature.[5]

Lefkowitz and Fogel first considered Kristen Bell and Evan Rachel Wood for the role of Sasha, but when they both became pregnant, the role was given to Leighton Meester.[6] Magnolia Pictures acquired the US rights to the film on May 16, 2014.[7]

Filming

Set in Minneapolis, Minnesota, principal photography began in April 2013 and lasted 19 days.[5][8] The film was primarily shot in Glendale, California, and Eagle Rock, Los Angeles.[5] Some scenes were shot at Griffith Park and at Long Beach, California, during the Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride.[5] Other scenes were also filmed in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Minneapolis skyline and a few Minneapolis landmarks are also shown in the film.

Reception

Life Partners earned $8,265 in North America.[1]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 66%, based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 6.04/10. The site's consensus reads: "With two appealing leads adrift in a sitcom-worthy plot, Life Partners doesn't do quite enough to earn viewers' commitment."[9] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 57 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[10]

References
  1. "Life Partners (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  2. Terrero, Nina (April 17, 2014). "Tribeca Film Festival: Leighton Meester has no barriers in 'Life Partners' – EXCLUSIVE VIDEO". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  3. "Here Are The 31 Films in The Spotlight Section". Tribeca Film Festival. March 6, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  4. "Life Partners". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  5. "Magnolia Pictures :: Press Kit (download Life Partners production notes)". Magpictures.com. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  6. Bendix, Trish (May 8, 2013). "Leighton Meester and Gillian Jacobs are "Life Partners"". AfterEllen. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  7. McNary, Dave (May 16, 2014). "Leighton Meester-Gillian Jacobs' 'Life Partners' Gets U.S. Distribution". Variety. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  8. "'Life Partners', starring Adam Brody & Leighton Meester, filming in Los Angeles". onlocationvacations.com. April 23, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  9. "Life Partners (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  10. "Life Partners". Metacritic. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
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