Greetings again from the darkness. As one who readily admits to unabated cringing at most romantic-comedies, it’s with a certain burst of pride that I acknowledge that this one from first time writer-director Matthew Shear is actually quite entertaining, and possesses a minimal cringe factor. There are likely a couple of reasons for this. First, Mr. Shear, who also stars in the film, has clearly been influenced by his time acting on filmmaker Noah Baumbach’s sets, and the second reason would be the most welcome presence of Amanda Peet in her first big screen role in 10 years.
We first meet Sam (Matthew Shear) as he’s being fired from his job, and soon after as he’s having a panic attack in a coffee shop. We recognize Sam’s overall lack of confidence, even before he heads to his appointment with a psychiatrist (Judd Hirsch). It’s there where the receptionist (Andrea Martin) suggests he consider babysitting for her three granddaughters. Sam initially views this nanny/manny position as temporary, but of course, it ends up being an extended gig. In fact, the story is loosely divided into the seasons of the year.
Sam is instantly attracted to Dianne (Amanda Peet), the mother of the three girls. Dianne is attempting to revive her acting career (it’s an age thing) while also managing a teetering marriage to musician David (Alessandro Nivola). David announces he’s headed out on an extended tour in Australia, making Sam’s manny position all the more crucial to Dianne … providing the time and proximity for the two to get better acquainted. Their initial bonding comes courtesy of granola.
Touches like the granola and the realization that the story doesn’t go down the predictable road are what set this one apart from the slew of mush in this genre. Mental health and the meds-of-the-day are part of the landscape, as are antisemitism and ageism. There is even a ‘Lake Bell’ crack and a grumpy grandpa. We do get the obligatory disastrous family dinner, but even that is handled with a spin. The ensemble cast is exceptional. In addition to Judd Hirsch and Andrea Martin, we are also treated to Bob Balaban, Jessica Harper, Holland Taylor and Zosia Mamet. Each is terrific, but let’s leave no doubt … this is Amanda Peet’s moment to shine (again), and she seizes it. As a winner of the SXSW Narrative Feature Audience Award, Matthew Shear’s film proves anxiety and NYC angst can play wide. The film may be as much character study as it is rom-com, but I’m sticking to my ‘minimal cringe’ description as a compliment.
Opens in theaters on March 27, 2026
Movie Reviews from the Dark 