Standing Still (2005)

36% of critics liked it
(22 reviews)
33% of users liked it
(17,743 ratings)

When a diverse group of lifelong friends comes together to celebrate the marriage of devoted couple Elise (Amy Adams) and Michael (Adam Garcia), the mixed-up relationships of the past pave the road to a weekend no one is likely to soon forget in the feature debut from filmmaker Matthew Cole Weiss.… More When a diverse group of lifelong friends comes together to celebrate the marriage of devoted couple Elise (Amy Adams) and Michael (Adam Garcia), the mixed-up relationships of the past pave the road to a weekend no one is likely to soon forget in the feature debut from filmmaker Matthew Cole Weiss. The setting is Los Angeles, CA, and the event is the wedding between a man and a woman who always seemed destined to be together. Unfortunately, all relationships can't be as healthy as Elise and Michael's is, and though best man and maid of honor Rich (Aaron Stanford) and Samantha (Melissa Sagemiller) seem to be preparing to take the plunge, the same certainly cannot be said for neurotic actress Lana (Mena Suvari). A free-spirited soul who has experienced flings with a variety of wedding attendees including the hapless Pockets (Jon Abrahams), alcoholic actor Simon (James Van Der Beek), and manic children's television program host Donovan (Ethan Embry), Lana attempts to sort out her past flings as lovelorn agent Quentin (Colin Hanks) pines for the bride's sister and the estranged father of the groom attempts to reconnect with his long-lost son. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Matthew Cole Weiss
Written By: Timm Sharp, Matthew Perniciaro
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 17, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Jun 27, 2006
Studio: Freestyle Releasing

Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
This is a hit and miss romantic comedy with a few solid laughs and some pretty smart dialogue.
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
Don't send a gift. Send your regrets. This is one wedding invitation that can clearly, safely be declined.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
The aptly named Standing Still, about postcollegiate 20-somethings, has the dramatic momentum of a daisy-picking toddler.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
Relentlessly shallow.
Jami Bernard, New York Daily News
A movie as inert as its title.
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times
Standing Still wants to be an honest, earnest look at the difficulties of growing up and moving on, but it remains stuck in such a fantasy-laden milieu that the characters never feel particularly real, and their problems seem phony and arbitrary.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...a progressively endearing effort that boasts several superb performances and a brisk, downright fun sensibility.
Erin Clements, Time Out New York
The Swiss-quartz comic timing of the film's ensemble cast makes its neurotic characters more compelling than your average cinematic slackers.
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
An independent, dialogue-heavy film that from the looks of it was made more with fun and passion than money.
Dan Fienberg, Zap2it.com
I continue to enjoy Van Der Beek's willingness to play obnoxiously against type -- it turns out as a big-headed hero, he's boring, but as a big-headed ***, he's a funny guy.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The efforts of an attractive and accomplished cast ensure that director Matthew Cole Weiss' feature debut is neither as dull nor as insufferably smug as it could easily have been.
Timothy Knight, Reel.com
There's just simply not one iota of originality to this exceedingly superficial and charm-deprived ensemble film. It doesn't help that most of the characters come across as entitled, navel-gazing twits without a smidgen of depth.
, E! Online
The entire cast is likable and good looking -- a combination that turns what could be cheerful, if fluffy, fair into something a bit more resonant.
Carol Cling, Las Vegas Review-Journal
If The Big Chill and American Wedding had a love child, it might look something like Standing Still.
Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly
The script (by Matthew Perniciaro and Timm Sharp) is trite, and the direction so flat that every scene looks like it was shot in a broom closet, but the bright young cast makes things more bearable than they should be.
Staci Layne Wilson, SheKnows Network
The only more apropos title might have been: Standing Still While Talking.
Clint Morris, Moviehole
A little gem of a movie - characters you just don't want to leave. Van Der Beek is good.

Read all 17 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

I just watched this movie, and I really liked it...alot. Sheesh. What's with all the bad reviews I am reading about this movie? Some of the things that were said didn't even sound like the same movie I just saw. Amazing. Well, I thought it was very charming, cute, and… More
I just watched this movie, and I really liked it...alot. Sheesh. What's with all the bad reviews I am reading about this movie? Some of the things that were said didn't even sound like the same movie I just saw. Amazing. Well, I thought it was very charming, cute, and enjoyable.
Red L

Not a memorable movie. I wouldn't watch it again.
Deb S

Elise and Michael (Amy Adams, Adam Garcia) are college sweethearts who are about to walk down the aisle and gather all of their old friends together to join in the celebration. Many of them have pasts all their own and haven't seen each other for years. As they each arrive at… More
Elise and Michael (Amy Adams, Adam Garcia) are college sweethearts who are about to walk down the aisle and gather all of their old friends together to join in the celebration. Many of them have pasts all their own and haven't seen each other for years. As they each arrive at the house, joyous reunions quickly turn into awkward meetings that bring up both sweet and painful memories. Elise's old college roommate (Lauren German), who she had a secret lesbian relationship with when she they were in school, show up and try to change Elise's mind about the wedding. Her other friends (Melissa Sagemiller, Mena Suvari) are trying to figure out how to move on in their lives and from the things that have held them back. A dramatic subplot involving Michael's estranged father Jonathan (Xander Berkeley), who's battling addiction attempts to reenter his son's life. The movie contains excessive amounts of sexual immorality, indecent language, nude shots, and youthful hedonism.
Laurence C

Standing Still is a dialogue-driven character piece about way too many twentysomethings' feelings & questionings to cover up in ninety minutes, but it somehow manages to leave an impression. Indeed, despite the fact that the plot really does go nowhere and we've heard… More
Standing Still is a dialogue-driven character piece about way too many twentysomethings' feelings & questionings to cover up in ninety minutes, but it somehow manages to leave an impression. Indeed, despite the fact that the plot really does go nowhere and we've heard this kind of story a bazillion times, director Matthew Cole Weiss and his excellent cast succeed in breathing life into these characters and giving the movie a natural, truthful ring. Nothing exceptional, but worth seing anyway.