Lola Versus
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''Lola Versus'' is a 2012 American
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...
film directed by Daryl Wein, who co-wrote the screenplay with his partner
Zoe Lister-Jones Zoe Lister-Jones (born September 1, 1982) is an American actress and filmmaker who co-starred as Jen Collins Short in the CBS sitcom ''Life in Pieces'' from 2015 to 2019. She is also known for her roles in the television shows '' Delocated'' (20 ...
. The film stars
Greta Gerwig Greta Celeste Gerwig ( ; born August 4, 1983) is an American actress, screenwriter, and film director. Initially known for working on various mumblecore films, she has since expanded from acting in and co-writing independent films to directing ...
,
Joel Kinnaman Charles Joel Nordström Kinnaman (; born 25 November 1979) is a Swedish-American actor. He first gained recognition for his roles in the 2010 Swedish film '' Easy Money'' and the ''Johan Falk'' crime series. Kinnaman is known internationally fo ...
, Lister-Jones,
Bill Pullman William Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting. Pullman made his film debut i ...
and
Debra Winger Debra Lynn Winger (born May 16, 1955) is an American actress. She starred in the films '' An Officer and a Gentleman'' (1982), '' Terms of Endearment'' (1983), and '' Shadowlands'' (1993), each of which earned her a nomination for the Academy Awa ...
.


Plot

On her 29th birthday, Ph.D. student Lola accepts a marriage proposal from her longtime artist boyfriend, Luke, and wedding preparations commence. However, weeks before the wedding, Luke decides to end the engagement, devastating Lola. In an attempt to encourage Lola to date other men, her best friend Alice takes her to a nightclub. There, the thought of having one-night stands with strangers sends Lola into a panic attack. Shortly thereafter, Lola visits Henry, a mutual friend of hers and Luke's, spending the night at his place. One day, a man named Nick flirts with Lola outside a fish market. Though she is not ready to start dating again, she agrees to give him her phone number. On her way to a meeting at her university, Lola is surprised by Luke, who has been second-guessing his decision to cancel the wedding, but she rebuffs him. Lola presents her
doctoral dissertation A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...
on silence in 19th-century
French literature French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by French people, French citizens; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of Franc ...
and the lack thereof in modern popular culture, as her professors look on in confusion. One night, Lola asks Henry to stay over at her place. The two share her bed and eventually kiss, until Henry stops out of respect for Luke. Despite confessing he has always had feelings for Lola, Henry proposes they take things slow. The next day, Lola meets Luke for lunch. After they have sex at Luke's apartment, Lola breaks down in tears and insists she can no longer see him, as she is still heartbroken. While Luke is in the shower, Lola sees text messages from a woman named Peggy on his phone. Lola and Henry continue to spend time together. While watching Henry perform with his band one night, Lola runs into Luke and Peggy. Outside the venue, Luke tells Lola he has recently started a
casual relationship Casual dating or a casual relationship is a physical and emotional relationship between two people who may have casual sex or a near- sexual relationship while staying loyal to each other without necessarily demanding or expecting the addition ...
with Peggy. Angered, Lola reminds him that he was the one that wanted time alone, before abruptly revealing she is dating Henry. Back inside, Luke, feeling betrayed, lashes out at both Lola and Henry. Later that night, an intoxicated Lola goes over to Henry's, where they have awkward sex. Afterwards, Henry asserts they do not need to define their relationship. Lola meets Nick for a dinner date at his place. They later have sex, during which Nick behaves oddly. The next morning, Nick accompanies Lola home. Henry, who had been waiting for Lola on her doorstep, becomes upset upon seeing her with Nick. Lola attempts to apologize to Henry, saying she was unsure if their relationship was exclusive, but he angrily leaves. Lola visits Luke's apartment, where they spend time together and smoke cannabis. At a house party thrown by Lola, Henry assures her that he is no longer upset with her, while Luke tells her that Henry will move in with him and invites her to their upcoming housewarming party. Some time later, Lola breaks up with Nick. At the housewarming party, Alice and Henry awkwardly reveal to Lola that they have recently started dating. A hysterical Lola berates Alice for not telling her earlier. When Luke joins the conversation, Lola declares that all three of them have abandoned her. Storming off, she wanders the streets at night on a drunken bender, stealing liquor bottles and going to a strip club. The next morning, she awakens outside her apartment. Realizing she is the only one responsible for her existential crisis, Lola decides to focus on her own self-improvement. She also completes her dissertation. Having made peace with both Alice and Henry, Lola celebrates her 30th birthday with a picnic in the park with her parents and close friends. When Luke appears, he tells Lola that their time apart has helped him realize how much he misses her, and he suggests a reconciliation. Lola kindly rejects his offer, explaining that since she spent all that time obsessing about him, she still needs to be alone for a while.


Cast

*
Greta Gerwig Greta Celeste Gerwig ( ; born August 4, 1983) is an American actress, screenwriter, and film director. Initially known for working on various mumblecore films, she has since expanded from acting in and co-writing independent films to directing ...
as Lola *
Joel Kinnaman Charles Joel Nordström Kinnaman (; born 25 November 1979) is a Swedish-American actor. He first gained recognition for his roles in the 2010 Swedish film '' Easy Money'' and the ''Johan Falk'' crime series. Kinnaman is known internationally fo ...
as Luke *
Zoe Lister-Jones Zoe Lister-Jones (born September 1, 1982) is an American actress and filmmaker who co-starred as Jen Collins Short in the CBS sitcom ''Life in Pieces'' from 2015 to 2019. She is also known for her roles in the television shows '' Delocated'' (20 ...
as Alice *
Bill Pullman William Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting. Pullman made his film debut i ...
as Lenny *
Debra Winger Debra Lynn Winger (born May 16, 1955) is an American actress. She starred in the films '' An Officer and a Gentleman'' (1982), '' Terms of Endearment'' (1983), and '' Shadowlands'' (1993), each of which earned her a nomination for the Academy Awa ...
as Robin *
Hamish Linklater Hamish Linklater (born July 7, 1976) is an American actor and playwright. He is known for playing Matthew Kimble in '' The New Adventures of Old Christine'' (2006–2010), Andrew Keanelly in '' The Crazy Ones'' (2013–2014), and Clark Debussy i ...
as Henry *
Ebon Moss-Bachrach Ebon Moss-Bachrach () (born March 19, 1977) is an American actor. He is known for his role as restaurant manager Richie Jerimovich in the comedy-drama series '' The Bear'' (2022–present), for which he was twice awarded the Primetime Emmy Award ...
as Nick * Cheyenne Jackson as Roger * Jay Pharoah as Randy * Parisa Fitz-Henley as Peggy * Maria Dizzia as woman subletter


Reception

''Lola Versus'' received mostly mixed reviews. On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film holds an approval rating of 35% based on 82 reviews, with an average rating of 5.19/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "It's fun to see Greta Gerwig mature her acting career but ''Lola Versus'' – with its unpleasant characters and completely familiar script – does not succeed as her first major leading role." On
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.


References


External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lola Versus 2012 films 2012 independent films 2012 romantic comedy films 2010s American films 2010s English-language films American independent films American romantic comedy films English-language independent films Films about birthdays Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City Fox Searchlight Pictures films English-language romantic comedy films