The Oranges (2011)

"The Oranges" (2012 release; 90 min.) brings the story of two married couples living across the street from each other. There is Terry and Cathy Ostroff (played by Oliver Platt and Allison Janney). Terry and Cathy are best friends with David and Paige Walling (played by Hugh Laurie and Catherine Keener), whose marriage is not going well and whose twenty-something yr. old daughter Vanessa still lives with them. This is in sharp contrast with Terry and Cathy's daughter (and Vanessa's childhood friend) Nina (played by Leighton Meester), who is living "la vida loca" in San Francisco. Things go unexpectedly sour for Nina who, tails between her legs, moves in with her parents. The two families are enjoying their time together, until Nina and David develop a crush on each other (despite their significant age difference). At that point we are about one-third into the movie, and to tell you more of the plot would simply ruin your viewing experience. But as you can well imagine, all kinds of crazy situations develop from there, some of them funny, others bittersweet, and yet other moments outright sad.

Several comments: Hugh Laurie (yes, he of the "House" TV series) shows again with this performance how versatile he really is. (Remember a year ago he released an album "Let Them Talk", which was critically well-received.) I'm sure it had to be a relief for Laurie to be playing a character so vastly different from "House". However, Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt also bring choice performances. It's difficult to assess Leighton Meester, as it is hard to make that leap of faith to see what she sees in David, who is twice her age. Also it is a bit strange that the movie was released in early October (when I saw it at the Landmark E Street Theatre in Washington), as the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays play a significant role in the movie.

All that aside, the bottom line is that this movie is more than just a 'romantic comedy', as the movie brings home some poignant moments. I found myself enjoying this movie a lot more than I had expected. If you are in the mood for one of those "little indie movies that could", "The Oranges" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The 411 by Maria:

I watched this last week and again this week with a friend and I must say, I can't wait to watch it again.

Two families, the Ostroffs and the Wallings who are best friends and neighbors. One has a daughter named Nina who is away at college and way too busy to come home. The other family has a daughter named Vanessa who has always been jealous of free spirited Nina. After a 5 year absence Nina finally comes home after she spots her boyfriend cheating on her.

Both families are experiencing growing pains of different kind, so when Nina becomes involved with David Walling instead of the Walling Boy (which is the wish of her mom) two families find themselves at odds.

OK...boring synopsis by me and everyone else. I found the movie to be quite interesting. While I thought the relationship seemed weird, rushed and a bit flighty, that is probably because we don't see how they spent time together as Nina was growing up. Which would probably have made it that more strange but I digress. They just seem to fall into a kiss and I am unsure if that is because there was an extreme closeness, sexual tension (I saw none) or two totally pathetic people who would have simply made out with whomever had sat on the couch with them. OK..while I don't get the relationship I enjoyed the dysfunctional family's ways of dealing with it. Nina's mom follows her to a hotel. Her dad is interested in how renewed his old friend David is now that he has a hot, new, young girlfriend (hello, his daughter)

The storyline was interesting, the cast excellent, the movie loses something because it tries very hard to tie up this relationship without it being twisted, dark and unappealing. Hello, he is 50 and having an affair with his best friend's 24 year old daughter. That is twisted. BUT....I liked it but I think that has to do with Hugh Laurie, Leighton Meester, Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt, Allison Janney and Alia Shawkat who were all excellent.

Buy The Oranges (2011) Now

Have been a fan of Hugh Laurie & Leighton Meester since she appeared on House a few years ago. They did not disappoint. The movie was most enjoyable & surprisingly funny. The other cast members were terrific as well, particularly Alison Janey & Oliver Platt. Am sure anyone viewing this will enjoy it.

Read Best Reviews of The Oranges (2011) Here

This is another feel good, feel awkward, sometimes humorous indie. The beginning of the film establishes the characters of the six main players. Two families are best friends. They do everything together, but not all is well. David Walling (Hugh Laurie) has been sleeping on the couch. His daughter Vanessa (Alia Shawkat) does some first person narration. Growing up she was best friends with Nina (Leighton Meester) who is part of the second family. Unlike Vanessa, Nina is a free spirit and Vanessa sees her as the antagonist.

Nina breaks up with her boyfriend and comes home for Thanksgiving after two years. The parents hope to fix her up with Toby Walling (Adam Brody), but Nina has suddenly developed a taste for older men, older married men who sleep on the couch. They are quickly discovered and the film goes into a mild disaster mode with crude comments from Nina's mom (Allison Janney) and snarky remarks from the hurt Vanessa.

The film had some funny parts, but for the most part it simply makes you smile at the awkward situation. The characters were well developed. The dialouge was decent. It has appeal and is worth a view, at least once. Leighton Meester did a great job.

Parental Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity. Some crude sex talk.

Want The Oranges (2011) Discount?

"If you could lean across this table right now and kiss me and no one said it was wrong and there were no rules, would you do it?" The Walling and Ostroff families live across street from each other and are best of friends. One Thanksgiving Nina Ostroff (Meester) surprises everyone by showing up unexpectedly. This innocent act changes both families forever. For awhile now I have started watching movies without seeing the trailers for it. That way I go in with no real expectations and no idea about what the movie is about. I did that with this one. I knew the basic plot but that was it. I have to say I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed this. The writing is very witty and funny and I laughed out loud most of the way through. The movie deals with a very hard and sensitive subject but has so much heart and laughs that it takes the pain away from the idea and makes it enjoyable to watch. This is a very good indi-comedy that I highly recommend. Overall, very very funny and very much worth watching. I say B+.

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