Review: The Extra Man

After being laid off from a cushy university position, aspiring writer, Louis (Paul Dano), moves to New York. He sublets a room from an eccentric failed playwright, Henry (Kevin Kline) who develops a mentor relationship with Louis. Henry teaches Louis how to be an "extra man." Henry hires himself out as a romantic company to rich old woman making sure that the seat order at swanky gathering remains boy-girl-boy etc (hence extra man). While under Henry's tutelage, Louis meets a number of other eccentric people including Henry's neighbor, Gershon, and an environmentally conscious co-worker, Mary.

Dano and Kline play both their characters like outcasts of a Fitzgerald novel. Their melodramatic voice patterns and 1920s vocabulary help create two of the most irritating characters put on film in a very long time. This does not help the audience relate to them in anyway. Kline's smugness and Dano's naivety come off as glaring personality flaws instead of charming personality quirks. They are both upstaged by John C Reily, who barely says a word and when he does it is high-pitched, and Katie Holmes, who awkwardly makes her way through each scene.

The fine line between quirk and eccentricity blurs forcing the comedy to sound overly smug and aggressive. This in turn pushes the simple indie story into preposterous territory. It is hard to believe even the most eccentric people act this way. They take "The Odd Couple" routine to new heights, but crash and burn on reentry. Even worse, Louis is saddled with a crossdressing subplot. His interest in lingerie is clear from the beginning, but as the story progresses it gets more and more involved. Considering his 1920s gentlemanly attitude, it comes off completely out of character and a cheap ploy to add edginess to a painfully boring film.

The Extra Man is like the guy at the party who is constantly cracking wise, but never realizes that he is not getting any laughs. He just continues to throw jokes out hoping one will catch while the rest of the party finds him increasingly annoying.

1/10