User reviews

"Mr. Roosevelt" is about a young woman, a struggling actress and comedian, who spends most of the film acting like a petulant teenager. I mostly get impatient with movies about adults who can't grow up, and whether or not I can tolerate them is wholly dependent on how much the person at the film's center can make me like him or her. Noel Wells, who also wrote and directed this movie, isn't hilarious, and in another mood I might have found myself irritated by her, but she was funny enough to keep me watching, and when I think back on this film I do so with fondness. It's no big deal, and it doesn't really show us anything we haven't seen before, but it has that low-key indie vibe that's easy to relax into. And I did really appreciate the protagonist's attitude about her Facebook-obsessed generation, born of equal parts envy and legitimate frustration, because they're attitudes I've felt myself.

If you go in with reasonable expectations there's a good chance you'll like this one.

Grade: A-

"Mr. Roosevelt" is fairly typical for an indie comedy, especially one written and directed by its star.

Indie movies used to be an alternative to Hollywood in that they would show you characters and situations that were something you wouldn't ordinarily see at the multiplex. Somewhere along the line that difference became a cliche. If you want to see something different, it doesn't help that you already know what that difference is going to be. Where's the surprise? Where's the challenge?

"Mr. Roosevelt" being an indie comedy means you can expect a lot of weird, off-hand lines of dialogue like "I forget what funny is", and nudity which, in a Hollywood movie, is usually a device to titillate audiences, but here just seems added to up the weird factor.

It's not unusual to see an unconventional lead in an indie flick, but I think Noel Wells doesn't really have star quality. Having written and directed the movie herself, of course she also cast herself in the lead role, but they can't all be Lake Bell (from "In a World") or even Lena Dunham ("Tiny Furniture"). The camera doesn't exactly love her. While watching the movie I found myself forgetting what she looked like occasionally, which is funny since she is in every scene.

The movie does have a few funny moments, though not many.

The plot concerns a struggling comedian who comes back to her hometown to say fairwell to her cat, the titular Mr. Roosevelt, as her ex-boyfriend and his new squeeze must have the cat put down.

The stage is obviously set for a "young person faces their past and confronts their issues" sort of movie, but here's the problem: I never believed that this character had a past, there or anywhere else, and I never believed that she cared about her cat enough to go all that way, or anything else. You can understand she might feel toward her ex's new lover, but the movie doesn't deal with them head-on, making her own feelings and motivations opaque, and making the character more distant than she ought to be.

I went into this because it seemed like a cute little film, and it was. It's not flawed or that amazing, but it's super enjoyable and funny, and it has a super hilarious actress in the lead role. I loved Noël Wells in Master of None's first season and I had no idea she was such a talented comedic actress. She's aces here and is definitely the best reason to watch the film. She's a huge talent to watch out for, not just in acting but in writing and directing.

Yes, it's your typical navel-gazing Austin indie.

But it's cute, refreshing, real, and it delivers some good insights a lot of people may need to grow as a person.

May appeal to women more than men, despite lots of nudity.

Screw the other reviews that say "Pointless from the get go". It isn't an SNL alumni movie, it's a filmmakers movie. Noel Wells uses startlingly amazing and nostalgic cinematography to portray the most authentic Austin I've seen in a movie. Yes, it's plot is little, but it really explores an millennial that feels like she's watching her life and friends move through adulthood while she's still mentally a teenager. She basically says "No! It's gotta be something else's fault not mine." and acts totally out of immaturity. It's a small movie, so do't see it if you want a blockbuster. I expect to see it at indie movie houses for years to come.

They sing their arguments ffs. If you like your skin don't watch this. During the argument/song scene I peeled my own skin off and now can't leave the house. Be careful out there!

You have an opportunity to make a movie, and this is what you come up with? Yet another movie where an immature young woman who creates her own "problems" is supposed to interest us. I ended up watching (well, I fast-forwarded through some) to the end because I went from, Hey this might be kind of a cute movie, to hating a cliché, watch-what-words-you-choose-men, selfish child that is the modern pastiche of a woman, and finally to morbid fascination at a project gone wrong. The actor and character of the drummer-waitress was the only redeeming quality.

I feel sorry for people making such movies!! Stupid movie is an understatement

I liked the way this film pushes back against the prevailing indie wisdom that anyone with a smidge of artistic talent just needs to follow their dreams until they catch them... The script may seem flimsy at times (maybe one too many chance meetings, even for a small college town?), but the setup's quite ingenious: UT Austin grad Emily's leading the dreary life of an aspiring sketch comic in LA when the cat she left behind with her ex gets sick.

Back in Austin, things have changed: her ex, a struggling rock guitarist, is hoping to get his real-estate license; his new S.O.'s a stylish, code-writing "entrepreneur," and the remnants of Emily's old life have been consigned to a backyard shed. At dinner with the couple and their bougie friends, Emily has a serious meltdown. Suffice it to say that it takes her a while to resolve all her issues... Richard Linklater fans will enjoy the scenes set in historic weird Austin; Daniella Pineda stands out as a kickass rock drummer/waitress.

My spouse and I (both "cat people") thought the (few) shots of Mr. Roosevelt (the cat) were nice.

But apart from that, we didn't see any storyline worthy of the name -- just a bunch of unpleasant people behaving badly, and lots of lame "humor" that didn't make either of us even chuckle. And even by the standards of struggling LA acressess, Emily's character didn't come across as very plausible: she loves her cat so deeply that she... leaves him behind with a soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend?

We were bored enough that we stopped watching after 25 minutes or so. The only disagreement between us was whether to give it 1 or 2 stars (and the 1-star spouse would have given it 0 stars if that rating were available).

This was a nice way to kill some time on a train ride. Enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I hope to see the lead actress in more films.

Wells is a little comedic genius, where has she been hiding?

She wrote, directed and starred in this tale of a single woman in Hollywood who returns home to Austin, which alone is impressive, but she also does spot-on impressions of Holly Hunter and Kristen Wiig.

A fun serious/comedy, check it out.

Noel Wells excels in her directorial debut in Mr. Roosevelt. I was unfamiliar with Wells' work until viewing this film despite her work on SNL. While directing, she also plays the lead role of Emily Martin who left her home and boyfriend to pursue comedy in Los Angeles. Emily is a struggling comedian who must quickly return home as her cat, Mr. Roosevelt, is dying. While in Austin, she stays with her ex-boyfriend and his girlfriend. The perfect set up for this comedy. Over the course of the movie, Emily learns much about the life she left behind and her own self. Throughout the film the viewer is dealt with awkward situations followed by Wells' quick witted humor. She has a lot of silly habits that I can relate with that make this movie more enjoyable. If you're into indie films put together by striving and thriving artists, Mr. Roosevelt is worth your viewing.

Noel Wells does an amazing job behind the scenes in this riff on the alt-culture hits of Wes Anderson, Charlie Kaufman and the likes. Compare it as a female perspective with 'Rushmore,' 'Moving Day,' or even 'The Life Aquatic,' and add the talented Nick Thune. Its messages are very humbly presented and awe-striking at their insightful portrayal. It's about a small town girl who moved to the big city and failed, something like "Hey Delilah" the famous pop song. It takes place in her small town where she returns, in Texas, to face the death of her beloved pet and the consequences of losing touch with the people she loved. The acting is fun to watch by all of the smaller parts. Great movie with plenty of food for thought.

My wife and I really enjoyed this movie. It moves quickly, the writing is smart, funny, some deadpan humor, wacky scenes as well. You'll be up to speed within minutes of the start, dying to know what happens to Emily as she visits Austin to pay her last respects to Mr. Roosevelt, her beloved cat. Loved the acting, hipsters are roasted throughout the movie, watch it for that alone! Seriously, if you're looking for a 90 minute movie, don't want to invest too much brain power, not in the mood for overrated Apatow BS, then this flick is for you. Hope to see more of the cast in other roles. Including Mr. Roosevelt!

8/10 for Noel. Her acting, writing and directing is great!

I'm so glad I watched this!

Very relatable main character, always a little put off my the world because well, it's off putting!

Her at first unspoken conflict with her sort of competition is understandable and yet a bit unnameable. On that level, even though it's a comedy it's a kind of coming of age tale wherein one learns to trust oneself.

Everyone is likeable here (or at least equally "off putting") with their humanity ultimately shining like a diamond.

It was tempting to vote for who was good and who was bad (at one point our heroine asks her buddy if she's indeed a bad person) and as in all good movies, the score is transcendent because I saw and loved myself in each of the characters.

Very watchable.