Film review: How To Meet Girls From A Distance


Director: Dean Hewison
Cast: Richard Falkner, Jonathan Brugh, Scarlet Hemingway, Aidee Walker, Arpha White, Owen Black
Rating: (R13)
4 stars (out of 5)

Photo supplied.
Photo supplied.
After Toby (Richard Falkner) tried to start a conversation with a girl and ended up getting stabbed in the throat he decided getting a little background information on any potential date would be a good idea.

However, the combination of modern technology and his natural love of puzzle-solving sees him end up with a full-blown stalker habit.

This could have been your normal dark Kiwi tale of twisted goings-on behind suburban nets but How to Meet Girls from a Distance (Rialto) is not interested in any of that. It simply wants to extract as many laughs as it can from Toby's miscalculations on the best way to find true love.

Toby is basically a good guy who needs to dial back his behaviour, fast. In fact, when we meet him Toby is giving change a go. He has found a dating coach, Carl Stewart BA (Jonathan Brugh), who unfortunately is the worst therapist ever.

Carl is so confident about his romantic abilities, he terrifies Toby and when Toby spies Phoebe (Scarlet Hemingway) he quickly reverts to stalker mode rather than implementing any of Carl's lessons, which, while dubious, at least are not illegal. But stalking can only take you so far, as Toby is about to find out.

Best thing: catchy New Zealand sound track is a well-judged tool in moving the action along.

Worst thing: there is a strange fascination with bodily functions as characters regularly over-share their exact reasons for visiting the powder room.

See it with: anyone who fancies combining having a laugh with "I've been there moments".

By Christine Powley.

 

 

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