Film Review: Dakota Johnson Brings Her Winning Authenticity to Sweet Friendship Comedy ‘Am I OK?’

Let’s start – why not? – with a veggie burger.

Lucy (Dakota Johnson) and Jane (Sonoya Mizuno), best friends in their 30s, have been so close for so long that when they meet at the restaurant, Jane can simply recite Lucy’s normal order: veggie burger and sweet potato fries. fried.

And then when, late “Im ok?’, Lucy rebels and orders a tomato and spinach omelet. There is a look of subtle hurt on Jane’s face. It sounds silly – it was just a veggie burger – but to Jane it means something familiar and comforting that is now gone.

There are equally sweet and subtle touches peppered in this directorial debut effort from Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne – touches that land far better than the occasional attempts at broad humor that feel forced, or at least like a different film (e.g., the dialogue given to Jane’s boss, played by Sean Hayes).

And, of course, there’s Johnson herself, the obvious focus of the persistent camera, and for good reason: her always winning authenticity, shining through in film after film, even in moments when the material around her feels weak.

The story here is simple and sincere. It’s a coming out story, but with the difference that the person who comes out is 32 years old, a decade (or even two) later than in most stories we see.

This particular story belongs to the film’s writer, Lauren Pomerantz, who came out when she was 34. Her closeness to the process is evident in some surprisingly moving moments—for example, the pain Lucy feels when a heterosexual woman plays with her emotions. (and more). It’s one of the most moving passages in the film.

After an opening montage that establishes the female friendship at the center of the film, we begin at the aforementioned restaurant, with Jane telling Lucy (with the aforementioned veggie burger) that she really needs to meet up with a certain handsome friend who obviously likes her: “Just do it,” she says. Lucy can’t explain why she doesn’t want to.

Meanwhile, Jane, the more professionally advanced of the two, has a big change in her life. Her boss offers her the opportunity to leave Los Angeles and open an office in London. Plus, her really cool boyfriend (Jermaine Fowler, who didn’t have enough to work for much of the movie) is coming. But for Lucy, this news is devastating – and you can tell by the unconvincing way she keeps saying “Amazing!” when Jane tells her one night over drinks.

After too much tequila, the two friends end up crying together, as their closest friends do (at least at the movies) in the bathroom while peeing and, later, at a sleepover. There, Lucy finally tells Jane that she likes girls.

Jane is nothing if not supportive. In fact, ever ambitious, she tells Lucy that she will be “the star of the lesbian community.” And she decides to help her find a woman, starting with a trip to a gay bar. However, it is Jane who ends up kissing a woman on the dance floor. Lucy runs away, embarrassed.

But there’s a sexy masseuse (Kiersey Clemons) at the spa where Lucy is a receptionist. Brittany is flirting wildly with Lucy, who finally works up the courage to respond. She brings Lucy out of her shell, but with disheartening results. And Lucy is now fighting with Jane, normally the first person she would call with a headache.

This film may be about a pair of friends, but witnessing the extremely watchable Johnson navigate uncertainty and sadness, it’s Lucy’s life that you’ll care about most. A last-minute hindrance to Jane’s well-laid plans for her trip to London rings a little false — or maybe it just seems to say, well, the two women have issues.

Either way, it was a good month for female comedies. While Pamela Adlon’s comedy “Babes” went all-in on the sass inherent to childbirth, “Am I OK?” seeks a sweeter and more moving vibe. It’s good to end up where we started – back at that restaurant table, discussing things. The final message here may be simple, but it’s comforting: friendships may change, but they can still adapt, endure, and survive.

Even when a veggie burger gives way to an omelet.

“Am I OK?’, a Warner Bros. release, was rated R by the Motion Picture Association “for language, sexual references and some drug use.” Running time: 86 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.