Best Sellers
Evidently low-budget, but admirably interesting - if you can set aside some of the cliches of troubled writers.
Harris Shaw (Michael Caine) is a cranky, retired novelist. Boarded up in his house, and refusing to see nearly everyone, as he lives off the proceeds of one good book, he is surprised to find Lucy Standbridge (Aubrey Plaza) in his living room. As the only daughter of her publisher father, who published Shaw’s first work, she is struggling to keep the publishing house alive, and believes that a new novel from the famed but reclusive Harris Shaw could be the way to do it. After much coercing, Shaw reluctantly embarks on a book tour to publicize his new novel, but Lucy and Shaw butt heads immediately and constantly. As the film goes on, the two characters have to put aside their prejudices and differences to see if they can not only succeed again in the publishing world, but go so far as to care about one another.
Best Sellers is a smallish movie to consider when surrounded by the endless blockbuster fare of a post-pandemic Christmas period. But that doesn’t make it lacking in worth. This film is engaging, and often enjoyable, and for viewers interested in publishing and the intergenerational humanity between the two leads, there is a lot to like.
Plaza is the standout by far, as she continues a steady stream of roles designed to shed her Parks and Recreation ‘no emotion’ performance cliche, and show she has more range. Here, she is the emotional heart of the movie, and brings a wonderful level of boss-woman snark that defrosts into care, kindness and heart. It’s a beautiful arc, and it is delivered beautifully; we never stop rooting for this character.
Caine is good too, although his performance isn’t particularly challenging nor out of character. It is also riddled with drunk writer cliches. The rest of the cast barely makes an impression; this is a two-hander in all but the strictest sense of the word.
From a pacing perspective, this is an easy and unchallenging ride. The twists and turns are predictable but not unwelcome, and by the end you will struggle to not feel some emotional attachment to this pair.
