Synopsis
Thirty-five years in the life of Max, his best friend Sal and a woman they both adore, Lyla. The trio stumble through mandatory but seemingly unfulfilling entanglements, at weddings, funerals, hospitals, eateries, divorce courts and the tool shed. A deadpan fable about time sneaking up on and swerving right around us.
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Cast
- Nick OffermanSal
- Keith PoulsonMax
- Jess WeixlerLyla
- Stephanie HuntClarissa
- Kevin CorriganMemorial Man
- Megan MullallyTherapist
- Kate Lyn SheilEx-wife
- Tabyana AliGirl at the Birthday Party (as Tabyana Ford)
- Marshall BellLyla's Father
- Jonathan TogoAdult Lyle
Recommendations
- 100
IndieWire
Byington excels at turning the edict that time waits for no one into a sensory experience. No matter how sly it gets, Somebody Up There Likes Me still retains that fundamental truth. - 80
The Hollywood Reporter
Despite knowingly blank performances and a heavily ironic tone, the story ultimately accumulates emotional gravity, ending with a sardonic refection on the seasonal cycle of life that is worthy of a Kurt Vonnegut or Joseph Heller novel. Tragedy is comedy. Comedy is tragedy. So it goes. - 80
Los Angeles Times
The film has a sarcastic tone, like that of a friend who you never can tell is kidding or not, which eventually breaks through into a place of unexpected sincerity. Meeting this odd, idiosyncratic "Somebody" is a rare delight. - 75
The Playlist
Each scene is a brisk vignette of deadpan reversal, often involving a running theme of miscommunication. - 70
Village Voice
The whole thing comes off as a fairy tale bordering on hallucination, perhaps the vision of life that passes before the eyes at death. - 63
Slant Magazine
Bob Byington's perspective may be above it all, but that doesn't quite account for the shades of melancholy that pop up unexpectedly in lines of dialogue and in some of the performances. - 60
The New York Times
It’s all kind of cute. Maybe a little too cute, but it does have a nice circle-of-life ending. And along the way, Mr. Byington shows a knack for observational humor, slipping in sly jokes that force you to keep paying attention despite the slim plot. Droll and interesting; just not very substantial. - 40
Time Out
The time-killing universe Byington has created makes sure we never forget how absurd he thinks the whole movie is. Fun for him, perhaps.
