January 6, 2025
Oakley (The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise) explores midlife dissatisfaction in this disappointing tale of a married couple’s date night gone wrong. To celebrate 20 years of marriage, Jane and Dan stray from their usual anniversary dinner at Macaroni Grill to dine at the world-famous La Fin Du Monde, a choice far above their pay grades as a failed writer and podiatrist, respectively. Jane, certain that Dan is cheating on her and unfulfilled as a mother of two teenagers, suggests they get a divorce. Before he can respond, the restaurant is invaded by a group of masked ecoterrorists. It turns out the group is targeting a billionaire tech tycoon who’s on his way there to meet his wife, which means everyone has to wait. Jane realizes two things: first, the situation is eerily similar to the plot of her poorly received book, Tea Is for Terror, and second, one of the terrorists is her teenage daughter, Sissy, whose voice she and Dan recognize. The plot twists become increasingly far-fetched as the narrative veers from the initial commentary on capitalism and environmental issues to humdrum depictions of marital woes brought about by Jane’s discovery of the truth behind her suspicions about Dan. It’s a miss. Agent: Stephanie Kip Rostan, Levine Greenberg Rostan.