Synopsis
Abby is a sought after massage therapist and a free spirit, while her brother Paul thrives on routine, running a failing dental practice with his assistant and daughter Jenny. Suddenly, Abby develops an aversion to bodily contact, which not only makes her unable to do her job, but also severely affects her relationship with her boyfriend. As Abby navigates her way through an identity crisis, her brother's dental practice receives new life when clients seek out his “healing touch.”
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Cast
- Rosemarie DeWittAbby
- Allison JanneyBronwyn
- Ron LivingstonAdrian
- Scoot McNairyJesse
- Tomo NakayamaHenry
- Elliot PageJenny
- Josh PaisPaul
- Amber Wolfe WollamMassage Client #1
- Ethel R. DeansMrs. Elvsted
- Shannon KippSusan
Recommendations
- 75
Slant Magazine
Lynn Shelton crafts a film of astonishingly sustained mood, tying its beguiling atmosphere to the mental states of her characters. - 75
Entertainment Weekly
Touchy Feely is minor, but these people are good company. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
Laughs come less frequently here than in Humpday and Your Sister's Sister, but the writer-director's empathy for floundering characters is intact. - 67
The Playlist
There's a great movie somewhere inside Touchy Feely desperately trying to swim to the surface, but its obscurity also comes with an inarticulateness that robs it of its potential. - 60
The Guardian
The semi-improvised dialogue has the juicy tang of authenticity in the hands of this highly competent cast, and the players and Shelton never sneer at the characters' new-agey beliefs. - 60
Time Out
wWen the filmmaker lines up her characters to confront their respective fears of intimacy, the loosey-goosey vibe clashes with the script’s clunky machinations; like her characters, Shelton doesn’t know what to do when things actually happen. - 58
The A.V. Club
Without an improvisational buffer, in which actors feel their way naturally and uncertainly from moment to moment, Shelton’s scenario feels as painfully contrived as it is. - 50
Variety
Trading her improv-based filmmaking style for a more traditional screenplay-grounded model, Lynn Shelton delivers an uneven mix of half-formed conflicts.
