“Me and You and Everyone We Know” is celebrated performance artist Miranda July’s feature film debut — she wrote, directed and stars — and was inspired by a lifelong desire “for magic to descend upon (her) life and transform everything.” This low-budget romantic dramedy is comprised of offbeat and refreshingly original material. “Me and You” is a nice icebreaker and a welcome diversion from all the summer blockbuster bluster.
John Hawkes (HBO’s “Deadwood”) delivers an outstanding performance as Richard, a newly single father of two boys whose peculiar behavior and oblique worldview are in stark contrast with his mundane job as a department store shoe salesman. Though he’s still pining for his ex, sparks fly when Richard meets Christine (July) an undiscovered performance artist who earns her living driving an “eldercab” for senior citizens. Richard’s boys, meanwhile, are getting plenty of action of their own. A desire to connect with others in a meaningful way is the thread that ties the characters together, and July manages to capture all the emotional grandeur that goes along with that by emphasizing tiny, beautiful moments. (Rated R for disturbing sexual content involving children, and for language. Running time: 90 minutes)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 17, 2005. Read the original PDF.