SUCK IT UP: Clichéd And Generic

Burn Burn Burn, a British 2015 black-comedy, covered much of the same ground as Suck it Up does. In Burn Burn Burn, a pair of women in their late twenties go on a road trip around the UK to spread the ashes of their recently-departed friend. Along the way, they process their grief and anger at the death of their friend, each other, and the way their own lives have turned out. It’s a really interesting film, with a sharp, honest heart that smartly cuts through the clichés that can pervade so many indie movies.

I wish I could say the same of Suck It Up.

Plot

Two months ago, Garrett, the brother of Ronnie (Grace Glowicki), and the ex-boyfriend of Faye (Erin Carter), died after a long battle with testicular cancer. His illness put a barrier between the two women; though they used to be close, they haven’t talked much since his death. Scared by her daughter’s heavy-drinking, Ronnie’s mom calls the more responsible Faye, and asks her to come and help.

Seeing for herself how troubled Ronnie is, Faye decides to take her friend to her picturesque lakeside cabin in Invermere. Amongst these peaceful surroundings, Ronnie and Faye confront their growing animosity toward each other, and their feelings about the death of the man they both loved.

“How Original (!)”

“Oooh, live like you’re going to die tomorrow, how original (!)”.

Fed up with Ronnie’s hard-living ways, Faye confronts her friend about her behaviour. In those two sarcastic words, Suck It Up betrays either a real lack of self-awareness, or a bizarre meta-acknowedgement of the unorginality of Ronnie’s character.

Ronnie is unoriginal. Eye-rollingly so. She flashes the people in the next car over in exchange for beer. She’s quite happy having sex with a man she’s just met, in the back of his truck. She’s on a perpetual hunt for drugs. There’s nothing else to her; she’s not given any kind of personality beyond this constant, unwavering wantonness, and she doesn’t undergo any kind of change.

Though she is her opposite, Faye is no less of a sterotype. Buttoned up and prim, as awkward around sex as Ronnie is comfortable, she is the Betty to Ronnie’s Veronica. The Madonna-Whore complex has long been a problem in popular culture; the propensity of women to be portrayed solely as virginal or licentious, with no middle ground. Though Suck It Up does at least attempt to add nuance in Faye’s relationship with Granville (Dan Beirne), and Ronnie’s friendship with Alex (Toby Marks), it never quite manages to escape the clutches of this complex. And that negates any good Suck It Up does in portraying these less-than-perfect women. For a film that boasts so many women amongst both its cast and crew, this is a particular shame.

Whatever friendship Faye and Ronnie had gets buried for far too long. For almost all of the movie, the two seem to actively hate each other, without even revealing flickers of their past friendship. The only thing more boring than watching these unoriginal characters, is watching them interact in such a predictable way. Ronnie does something outlandish, Faye reacts, Ronnie is spitefully amused at Faye’s prudish reaction. Rinse and repeat forever. By the time they get round to directly confronting Garrett’s death, it’s too late to start caring.

Indie Clichés And Clumsy Telegraphing

The one inarguably great aspect of Suck It Up is the cinematography by Guy Godfree. The movie takes place in a gorgeous area of British Columbia, replete with trees and lakes and mountains. Any indoor scene seems a waste of time when there is always such a striking view waiting just outside.

Unfortunately, these stunning surroundings are used so often for instagram-friendly clichés, like the trip down to the cabin in Garrett’s Mustang convertible, or the slow motion montage of the two women dancing in the lake, soundtracked by generic indie music. There’s a hipsterness to Suck It Up that will be off-putting to many, especially when paired with all of those character stereotypes.

Almost every event in Suck It Up is telegraphed so clumsily, it could be seen from space. Take Faye’s job interview. When we first meet Faye, she is attending an interview for a postion at a school. She aces it, and is then told a date for her second interview, which thanks to her impromptu road trip will have to take place on Skype. That is sure to go down without a hitch with the reckless Ronnie hanging around…

Then there’s the contents of letters that Garrett wrote to both women before he died, and what I will refer to as ‘Chekhov’s mud-wrestling’. If you can’t guess how each of those little plot-lines are going to pan out, than you just haven’t seen enough films. There is nothing here, not one single narrative turn, that comes as a surprise.

In Conclusion: Suck It Up

Suck It Up attempts to tell a story with flawed women at its centre, and that is admirable. Films about flawed women are an important step towards entertainment equality, and our cinematic landscape would be more representative and interesting if we had more of them.

It’s hard to see the point of making a film about flawed women like Suck It Up though, that falls back on clichés and stereotypes at every turn. Faye and Ronnie are textbook examples of the long-assailed Madonna-Whore complex. Plot developments are telegraphed from miles ahead. Twee indie movie tropes abound. If this film actually does have anything new to say, it’s hard to fathom from under this sea of mumblecore conventions.

If you want to see this film done right, watch Burn Burn Burn. The only reason for watching Suck It Up is the beautiful scenery.

Have you seen Suck It Up? What did you think? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

Suck It Up opens in LA on October 27th with wide release to follow. For international release dates, see here.