There are movies that are effortlessly charming and transcend any preconceived notions of what a genre movie can or should be and makes the audience re-examine what they’re watching and how it fits into a larger picture. There never needs to be something created that just clicks the right boxes, and when it decides to break out of the box and become its own thing with tendencies and traits of other genres we end up with something quite excellent and impressive. Writer and director Michael Lukk Litwak has all of the charm and pizazz of Mark Duplass that is only further enhanced by his masterful cast. Molli and Max in the Future is this years Safety Not Guaranteed – and that is one of the highest compliments that can be given.
The movie focuses on Molli (Zosia Mamet) and Max (Aristotle Athari) as their paths keep crossing, no matter how much time or space passes they always seem to end up running into one another. While things never truly get to the point where they want it to, whether it be because of divine intervention or science fiction devices, they never truly follow their hearts and each time they run into each other things continue to develop and their decisions have continue to have mixed results. While trying to sift through the chaos of every day life and manage their own paths – celebrity status or cult conformist – with a political social economic plot that interweaves itself throughout the story, it is the personalities and individualism of Molli and Max that transcends storytelling and creates a masterful 93 minutes that is sure to have audiences fall in love over and over again.
Molli and Max in the Future is a delightful sci fi romantic comedy that transcends past the predefined notions of either genre and brings forth the indie spirit and creates something magical and otherworldly. Litwak who pulls double duty as writer and director constructs something so heartwarming and genuine that creates a world for the audience to fall in love with. However, it would all be rather meaningless and fall apart if it wasn’t for the chemistry that is shared between Mamet and Athari, as they’re almost the entire cast of the movie. There are other characters that help the story, but the main focus is between Mamet and Atahri and their personal journeys and interactions with each other. The performances by both Mamet and Athari truly is what makes Molli and Max in the Future an undeniable feat of brilliance and heart that is surely going to have the audience laugh, cry, and be filled with warmth from this touching and hilarious romantic comedy.
Molli and Max in the Future is one of those indie darling movies you hear about and when it is discovered becomes an undeniable favourite of its audience. The movie simply takes the audience on a journey of love that is helped by the futuristic science fiction atmosphere that creates this other worldly experience. Simply, Molli and Max in the Future is a love letter to the soul that will leave audiences endlessly charmed.
