MR. RIGHT: A Shotgun Blast of Quirkiness

To talk about this film, you must talk about the rise and acceptance of post-modernist cinema with mainstream audiences and how this has changed the way modern genre films are tackled. To break it down, post-modernist cinema essentially is cinema that tackles ‘modern’ or traditional cinema. Post-modern cinema wants to actively point out the different film elements that make traditional cinema work, show them to you and deconstruct these cinematic codes in order to stand apart and comment on its established genre/story-telling methods that its currently indulging in.

The most famous example (and one that really brought the movement into mainstream fare) is the cinema of Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino’s films constantly play with form, dialogue infused with pop culture references and manipulation of established genre tropes, which makes his films prime post-modernist material. The independent cinema movement of the 90’s and Tarantino’s game-changing features (Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs), much like any popular film movements (spaghetti westerns, superhero movies) saw a boom of imitators, many missing the point and subtle touches of Tarantino’s films.

As any genre gets popular, more films are created in a similar fashion, which dilute their popularity and force filmmakers to create alternative or deconstructed versions of the original text. Mr. Right is the modern bi-product of this long-running fashion. Paco Cabezas’ Mr. Right is a solid rom-com action film whose post-modernist elements constantly cut into the film’s goofy charm, a film which is conflicted with its own identity, flipping between a Tarantino-esque dissection of the hitman film genre and a modern Facebook era rom-com filled with enough quirks and snappy dialogue to keep you entertained.

After catching her boyfriend cheating on her, Martha McKay (Anna Kendrick) is at her wit’s end. Desperate for a new romance to shield the pain of her sudden breakup, a chance meeting within a convenience store has her bumping into Francis “Mr. Right” (Sam Rockwell), a love-at-first-sight encounter that has the pair dating immediately . Due to McKay’s complete bewilderment with Francis, she ignores Francis’ constant warnings that he is actually a hitman who is always targeted by scorned enemies and his past mentor Reynolds (Tim Roth), that constantly puts him in danger.

Due to an unestablished mental breakdown, Francis lives by a ‘reverse’ hitman code – instead of killing the intended targets that he is paid to kill, he kills the person who gives him the assignment, with the ironic message of “murder is wrong”. When his past starts to catch up with him, Francis finds he must fight back, whilst trying to maintain a normal relationship with the naïve Martha.

Questioning the Film’s Internal Logic

Whilst the idea of writing a ‘reverse’ hitman is one that’s understandable in constructing a likeable protagonist (creating a character that’s essentially a pseudo-vigilante icon, meaning his murder is somewhat justified in broad terms), it’s one that doesn’t quite make much sense in its internal logic. One of the sub-plots in the film sees a pair of small-time gangsters (James Ransone and Michael Eklund) try to make their boss Richard (Anson Mount) hire Francis to kill a random gangster so that Francis’ code of honor would mean that Francis actually kills Richard, leaving the gangster pair to take over Richard’s large crime empire.

If his reputation for killing his handlers is so well known, why would anyone hire him? Whilst it can be argued that he’s hired on a word-of-mouth status due to his former lifestyle, the film shows us that he’s someone who is frequently hired, even with his vigilante streak.

The idea of a ‘reverse’ hitman is one of the film’s narrative post-modernist choices, one which takes the standard hitman tropes and attempts to make them likeable to a mainstream audience, whilst commenting on the techniques and established knowledge of past hitman characters in film. It’s an interesting character decision that’s ultimately undercut by the film’s lack of telling us why Francis has made such a sudden change, without a definitive reason for such a change of heart, it takes away any sense of menace or intrigue, making any of Francis’ character growth within the film feel underwritten.

The character of Martha McKay, portrayed by Anna Kendrick, really highlights the film’s storytelling problem, and demonstrates the clash between post-modernist and classical delivery that lie at the heart of the film’s narrative issues. McKay is established as a typical rom-com protagonist –an attractive early 30’s woman who desperately needs a man immediately in order to live a fulfilling life. Apart from some small quirks to inject some levity into the film, her character is written as a cross between the straight man in this wacky hitman comedy but also the source for most of the film’s craziness as well.

The blurry mix between the two means that the film has no engaging or grounded character to make the craziness stand out, as the film has nothing to juxtapose the elements with. When both your protagonists are completely dejected from a stable reality, can they still be engaging characters? This uncertainty appears frequently throughout the film, when legitimate questions (Francis being a killer, his bizarre behaviour, Martha’s role in the film) are asked, they are given brief but throwaway answers in order to keep the film clicking, giving a constantly shifting feel that makes us question how we view Martha as a relatable character.

A game of juggling knives (literally) between Francis and Martha forces Martha to have a reality break and realize just how crazy the man she is dating is – the moment is unearned though and feels like a beat inserted into the film because standard narrative practices demand that a moment of doubt before a big decision is made is one required in every mainstream film. Martha’s easy dismissal of her doubt, reverting to a giggly state really sums up the film’s uncertain black comedy angle – a film which wants to be half a rom-com pastiche fuelled by violence and a typical boy-meets-girl story that happens to have a hitman in it.

The Power of Good Acting

Anna Kendrick and Sam Rockwell are both very well-established comedic actors who have repeatedly shown that they can handle any material – good or bad – and make it work. Rockwell shows shades of his character Billy from Seven Psychopaths – a well-meaning hitman who just happens to be really good at his job. He elevates the character above what has been written for him – a series of quips and witty ticks built upon an old school hitman trope.

His instant charm means that we immediately love his character, with his little dance moves and infectious grin means that throughout the violence. Motivations and loveability established, we like the character, so we totally understand why Martha would too. Anna Kendrick is playing her role in a much more hyperactive fashion then she’s showed in previous roles, mixing her friendly but sarcastic attitude with an elevated craziness, and she’s one breakup away from transforming into a crazy cat lady.

Rounding off the cast is Tim Roth as the former mentor of Francis, a rather thankless role that sees Roth merely play a plot point and exposition delivery machine, giving him none of the amusing dialogue that the rest of the cast get. Whilst it’s commonly known that Roth is extremely talented, he seems rather bored in the role, constantly delivering dialogue like he’s rehearsing it in his bedroom. As part of his character, he is forced to switch between his actual British accent and an exaggerated Southern American accent, which is slightly funny but it’s a dynamic that’s barely played with (Hateful Eight demonstrated Roth’s great ability to constantly switch accents).

Musician RZA appears as Shotgun Steve, an outsourced hitman hired to take down Francis. RZA is given one of the funnier roles in the film, which he delivers quite well, making him one of the stand-out elements of the film.

The Elephant in the Room

It’s hard to talk about this film without addressing the film’s writer, Max Landis. Landis has recently taken over Kevin Smith’s position as the internet’s go-to persona when covering and commenting on ‘geek’ news, a reputation which has made his name very well-known, a much higher level of online coverage than other screenwriters ever receive. One reason that Landis is so well known is due to his energetic, infectious personality, a trait which leaks into his more personal scripts.

This film has several shades of his previous theatrical release, American Ultra, which was also a romantic comedy set on the backdrop of a larger genre picture. Landis has stated repeatedly that it’s quite unfair to judge a script’s strength based purely on the credited writer, due to the ever-shifting nature of film production, which is filled with studio-mandated rewrites, on-set improvisation and post-production editing.

From what I’ve seen on-screen, Mr. Right’s writing is the film’s strongest element, even if it does have narrative flaws and inconsistent character moments. The trademark Landis flavour can be felt in the film, with the characters’ constant post-modernist references all feeling like shades of Landis’ personality himself. Whilst people may criticize Landis due to his abrasive style and post-modernist values, he manages to integrate his personality into his films which makes them distinctive, in a way that made Woody Allen’s films so popular back in the 70’s.

A contrasting example of a screenwriter’s personality feeling draining and self-serving on-screen is Seth McFarlane’s work, especially A Million Ways to Die in the West, which feature post-modernist smugness, with the clear thumbprints of an expensive passion project.

The film’s constantly cycling pop music soundtrack really help give the film its upbeat comedic atmosphere some life, a nice indicator to the audience that despite the violence and adult themes, you don’t have to take it all so seriously. This, mixed with Paco Cabezac’s solid direction makes the action in the film work. Nothing’s worse in an action comedy when either one genre works or neither do.

With Mr. Right, both the action and comedy are directed competently, avoiding any headache-inducing shaky cam or erratic editing, giving some nice clear gun shootouts. And whilst it isn’t revolutionary or game-changing, the film is refreshingly well-shot for what it is. The film avoids any overt gore, a smart decision which prevents some of the film’s darker elements from intruding on the comedy.

The Verdict

Mr. Right is a perfectly entertaining little rom-com film which is ultimately pretty harmless, infused with some post-modernist fun that sets it apart from your standard Nicholas Sparks schlock. The film is elevated by the central performances of Anna Kendrick and Sam Rockwell, both established comedic actors who display their instantly loveable charisma and comedic timing, a pair who thankfully share genuine chemistry on-screen.

Landis’ script makes sure the dialogue pops and whilst there’s nothing deep here, the film is entertaining enough to make sure you don’t regret watching it. The film is constantly undercut by its confusion in tone, not knowing if it wants to be a complete pastiche of the hitman and rom-com genre or if it wants to indulge in times of narrative need. Also, to bring up the film Deadpool quickly, it’s interesting that both that and this film share a joke about a male character being embarrassed about having the name ‘Francis’. It’s not that bad of a name, is it?

What are your thoughts of the role of post-modernist film in modern day mainstream cinema?

Mr. Right is currently playing at American cinemas. Find international release dates here.