Easy (2003)

59% of critics liked it
(17 reviews)
50% of users liked it
(1,884 ratings)

American independent filmmaker Jane Weinstock makes her feature debut with the romantic comedy Easy, shot on digital video. Marguerite Moreau plays Jamie, a single gal living in Los Angeles who makes a living by giving creative names to consumer products. Although she's adept at catching men for her… More American independent filmmaker Jane Weinstock makes her feature debut with the romantic comedy Easy, shot on digital video. Marguerite Moreau plays Jamie, a single gal living in Los Angeles who makes a living by giving creative names to consumer products. Although she's adept at catching men for her own pleasure, she decides to give up sex for 90 days. The decision is supported by her stoner friend, Martin (D.B. Woodside), and her married sister, Laura (Emily Deschanel). However, some handsome fellows -- poet John (Naveen Andrews) and talk show host Mick (Brian F. O'Byrne) -- cause her to rethink her plan. Easy was shown at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Jane Weinstock
Written By: Jane Weinstock
Genres: Drama, Romance, Comedy

In Theaters: Nov 26, 2004 Limited
On DVD: Mar 1, 2005
Studio: Magic Lamp Releasing

Critic Reviews

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
A small but satisfying romance with a pleasant soundtrack and some unusual backdrops.
Anita Gates, New York Times
[Weinstock] does an impressive job of capturing the brave messiness of single life, or at least of 20-something dating.
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
The movie ends on exactly the right note, but it hits a lot of bad ones on the way.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
It is a lively, idiosyncratic romantic comedy, funny and sexy but with a strong serious streak.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
There's much too much going on here, enough for an entire season of a TV sitcom, which Easy should have been in the first place.
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
Weinstock takes you down a well-trod path in romantic comedy, but her characters are smart and funny, the twists are unexpected and, for once, a romantic triangle is presented realistically with the choice a woman must face being anything but easy.
, E! Online
A few chuckles and an attractive cast of capable actors can't overcome a scattered script that travels well-worn indie territory.
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
Weinstock's screenplay takes too many shortcuts, never letting the characters emerge as people in their own right, rather than as a collection of carefully assigned character traits.
Sean Axmaker, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
... tries to coast on this surface of quirks and cute details, but Weinstock's perfunctory direction stumbles over her attempts at humor and sabotages her performers.
Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Daily News
The movie has some nice character work and quite a few good laughs to offer.
Kim Morgan, L.A. Weekly
In forced, quirky tedium, it drags us through love triangles, mommy issues and crying jags that make you want to shake this chick.
Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve
A date movie whose unresolved conflicts allows us in the audience to discuss possible scenarios for the future.
Joshua Tanzer, Offoffoff
It's easy to pan Easy as a second-rate effort to make a first-rate indie movie. But you may come away well satisfied with your hour and a half's entertainment.
Oz, eFilmCritic.com
Jane Weinstock certainly has talent, and Marguerite Moreau deserves more opportunities to shine as a lead, but the longer Easy goes on, the less of that talent you see.
Don R. Lewis, Film Threat
Weinstock adds such realism to her script and such great characters, you can't help but like this film even if it does sort of follow a formula.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Leigh R

It was funny and sweet. Quite a bit of sex scenes, but that's to be expected with the plot.
Keysha H

Really great movie about loving too many too fast..and quite funny as well.
Dean L

I enjoyed many parts of this film (3.5=between good and really good), but on the whole it never made it to 4 stars (4=really good). Marguerite Moreau gave a great, human performance as the lead (might I also add that she is stunningly beautiful without reaching for that "star in… More
I enjoyed many parts of this film (3.5=between good and really good), but on the whole it never made it to 4 stars (4=really good). Marguerite Moreau gave a great, human performance as the lead (might I also add that she is stunningly beautiful without reaching for that "star in a can" quality). The film struggled through trying to be so "real" that it overshot the mark and became somewhat of a parody of itself. Where it sought to portray what one girl goes through in the realm of rejection and relations it overstates the point by making the watcher believe that all men are jerks. It then goes even further to show that, in general, all people are jerks...(hmmm...maybe a little more on the mark than I thought.) Playing too much on overdone or incorrect stereotypes also weighs this movie down a bit [The yoga instructor/acupuncturist next door smokes pot (inaccurate/hackneyed movie stereotype), the gay characters waffle in their sexuality (see previous example)] In addition, outcomes are generally easy to spot. Also, Naveen Andrews playing the initial love interest (John) was almost painful to watch as his performance was SO lackluster. All of this being said...it did come across as very human and totally approachable which I believe was what this movie was going for. Furthering this struggle towards being "real," the movie goes with a very sparse soundtrack. That is hard to pull off. A good watch. Rent it when you can.
Mark A

A sweet and tender love story. A young woman who has had a string of disasterous relationships decides to take stock of her life. Taking a 90-day vow of celibacy allows her to step back and determine what is truly important. There are plenty of bumps along the road, but Laura (Moreau)… More
A sweet and tender love story. A young woman who has had a string of disasterous relationships decides to take stock of her life. Taking a 90-day vow of celibacy allows her to step back and determine what is truly important. There are plenty of bumps along the road, but Laura (Moreau) finds the inner strength to survive and in the end finds that the happiness she had been seeking was there in front of her. Maybe a little sappy at the end, but I don't mind. Ms. Moreau lights up the screen and one only hopes that we will get to see her again.