SHOOT TO MARRY: A Highly Entertaining Journey Of Modern Romance

Steve Markle, the subject of his own film Shoot to Marry, was incredibly geeky in high school. Comparing himself to an Anthony Michael Hall character, he presents archive footage of his brace-faced younger self awkwardly tap dancing in an elf outfit and, in another whimsical clip, pretending to be pregnant. Discussing his status as a 42-year-old bachelor, he reflects, “I used to show this video to girls… jeez what was I thinking?”

At 42, he’s still the occasional goof, but in the years has developed enough self-awareness to find success in the romantic realm, though not quite reach his desired endgame of marriage. At his stage, he thought he’d already have experienced nuptial bliss or even a divorce. After a devastating breakup with a girlfriend of four and a half years, he starts documenting himself on a quest to find a wife, recording each of his interactions and dates with women.

A total delight

I’m reminded of Ravi Patel’s similarly amusing cinematic experiment Meet the Patels, where Ravi seeks the help of his family to follow traditional Indian methods of finding his significant other. Markle doesn’t seem to function on any sort of cultural compass so the expectations and methodology are almost entirely defined by his own self. He seems to have no prejudices, meeting women of all backgrounds, from tattoo artists to an old acquaintance he’s always had a thing for. Initially, he meets a matchmaker who suggests finding women of the same age.

His first date is with the modest Colleen, who’s as interested in feces as she is in Indian food. Markle’s disinterest in a follow-up, though, is less to do with her obsession with shit than it is to do with her having short hair. What makes Shoot to Marry a total delight is the evolution that Markle goes through as a romantic partner himself, which permits him to share his patronising reasons for never going on second dates with certain women like Colleen. Narrating in an active voice, his internal monologue is very funny, a brilliantly self-reflexive critique of male singledom.

Relatable but, more importantly, hilarious

“Why am I so eager to find my other half? I don’t even like the first half,” he states early on, when the post-breakup self-abasement is at its apex and he’s still an indulgent loner who objectifies women. His self-assessment leads him to realise that he’s the type who’s good at planning vacations and buying gifts but awful at listening or just being present in the moment. Consequently, much of the first half is filled with the philosophies of a self-hating single person, which are engaging equally because they’re painfully relatable as much as they’re hilarious.

I’m also reminded of Nathan Fielder and his slowly emerging journey to find love in Nathan For You, which had a memorable resolution in the series finale. I would certainly recommend this documentary to anyone who’s missing Nathan for You, particularly because it begins with a similarly awkward archetype and expounds on their attempts at shooting their shots in parallel to self-actualisation. There’s even a suggestion that it may simply come down to luck – you just have to meet somebody similarly awkward, as Markle considers in the form of a bizarre hat-collecting performance artist.

The weaker aspects

The weaker moments of this otherwise laugh-out-loud study of contemporary dating are when the filmmaker diverts from the route of marriage to have discussions around sex, such as in an elongated segment with an escort or when he visits a sex club, because he’s already established that he’s looking to mate for life rather than to just mate. Despite offering moments of comedy, these sequences play like non-sequiturs that only serve to help qualify the film as a feature rather than a short, as it runs for only 75 minutes in its totality.

Nevertheless, even as he sways from his goal, Markle provides lots of laughs. With this delightful film, a real-life rom-com, he proves to be a natural storyteller with a gift for finding comedy in every moment. It’s a lightweight premise with heavyweight emotions, underscored by a very effective soundtrack which mixes 90’s rom-com nostalgia with a catchy leitmotif that signals a new start (which happens a lot) in his path to a blessed union.

Shoot to Marry: Conclusion

Shoot to Marry lets you ride shotgun on a highly entertaining journey of modern romance. If he wanted to utilise a broad visual metaphor, Markle would have one taken one of his dates to a theme park, but instead he engineers the rollercoaster ride in the edit, successfully executing the twists and surprises of life to deliver an exhilarating cinematic experience. The outcome reminds us of the motto that everyone knows but perhaps forgets, a maxim that might contradict the need to evolve but makes sense in its own inexplicable way – you just have to be yourself.

What are some other great documentaries about finding love? Let us know in the comments below!

Shoot to Marry played at Slamdance Film Festival 2020, where it won the Best of Breakouts Audience Award. It is currently seeking US distribution.