Synopsis
Tim and Lee are married with a young child. The chance to stay at a fancy home in the Hollywood Hills is complicated by Tim's discovery of a bone and a rusty old gun in the yard. Tim is excited by the idea of a mystery, but Lee doesn't want him to dig any further, preferring that he focus on the family taxes, which he promised to do weeks ago. This disagreement sends them on separate and unexpected adventures over the course of a weekend, as Tim and his friends seek clues to the mystery while Lee searches for answers to the bigger questions of marriage and parenthood.
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Cast
- Jake JohnsonTim
- Rosemarie DeWittLee
- Jude SwanbergJude
- Alicia Van CouveringCashier
- Timothy SimonsYoga Couple
- Jenny SlateYoga Couple
- Jeff BaenaBB Gun Friend
- Mike BirbigliaPhil
- Steve BergPaul
- Kent OsborneAdam
Recommendations
- 100
IndieWire
The movie delivers a bewitching dissection of happiness and unhappiness in love. Digging for Fire is a promising peek into the future of Swanberg, and one that only signals more to come. - 90
Variety
A lovely slice of everything and nothing. - 90
Screen Daily
This is a moody comedy about unconscious marital discord, but it’s also about that ineffable discontent that envelops most of us. Digging For Fire is funny because it rings true — and because it stings a little. - 88
Slant Magazine
Reminiscent of Woody Allen's great, under-sung Manhattan Murder Mystery, it utilizes a pulp conceit as a shorthand for the regrets that bubble up in a marriage. - 75
The Playlist
Digging For Fire is low-lit and pitched in a minor key, a quiet meditation on compromise, individuality, the loss of identity within a marriage, and the aftermath of disorientation that comes with having children and losing touch with your former life. - 75
New York Post
Per Swanberg’s signature style, the dialogue is largely improvised, the performances loose and funny. This may be his most star-studded cast yet, but the work is as intimate (“mumblecore” is so passé) as ever. - 75
Rolling Stone
The movie steps lively with buoyant humor and palpable sexual tension, but keep an eye out for the dark places. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
More lightweight than its ample talk of weighty subjects suggests, the film is nevertheless enjoyable.
