The Uncomfortable Film I’m Thinking of Ending Things

I’m Thinking of Ending Tings

Directed by Charlie Kaufman
Written by Charlie Kaufman (based on Iain Reid’s book)

The review:

It’s a Charlie Kaufman film, so settle in and wait for the weird.* In this case, two Jesses** take us on a very long, very uncomfortable meet-the-parents journey.*** I have a debate going about whose story this really is,**** and while I don’t think this is Kaufman’s best, it provided a lot of Kaufman things, plus two productions numbers from a famous musical.*****

The verdict: Good

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

• Synecdoche, New York
• Anomalisa
• Being John Malkovich
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Further sentences:

*Charlie Kaufman films = long, weird, uncomfortable, nonsensical, mesmerizing. If you’re tired of the same old same old, a Kaufman film is always a great palate cleanser.
**Jessie Buckley, so good in Wild Rose, and Jesse Plemons who imprinted on me in Friday Night Lights. Both seem to be carving out roles that let them show off their range.
***It’s possible, that with the quarantine, you’ve been missing uncomfortable family dynamics. This provides a perfect remedy!
****If it’s Jessie Buckley’s story, Kaufman made a film for the #metoo era.
*****I’ve got a short list of movies with musical production numbers. This and Bernie. What can you think of?

Questions:

• What do you think is Kaufman’s best?
• Who’s story is it?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The first car scene lasts roughly seventeen minutes and fifteen seconds (not including the brief interludes of seeing the Janitor). The second car scene lasts twenty-two minutes and thirty-seven seconds (not including the Tulsey Town detour)

Other reviews of I’m Thinking of Ending Things:

• Allie, Often Off Topic
• Karen Gordon, Original Cin