Written by Diane Tillis
See You in September is Tamara Tunie’s (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) first attempt behind the camera as director and producer. It is a romantic comedy with a cast of recognizable faces, such as Estella Warren from Planet of the Apes (2001) and Justin Kirk from Showtime’s Weeds. See You in September is a lighthearted film for the optimistic romantic in all of us.
Lindsay (Estella Warren) cares more about her clothing than her perfect boyfriend’s proposal for marriage. His proposal sends her running for the hills and to her therapist (Whoopi Goldberg) for answers. However, Lindsay’s issues will have to wait when she discovers all therapists in Manhattan go on vacation for the entire month of August. Feeling abandoned at her time of need, Lindsay decides to set up a support group through Craig’s List for people in her similar situation. With the support of her best friend Monica (Liza Lapira), the first session convenes.
Max (David Eigenberg) is trying to get over his ex-wife, who he divorced three years ago, and wants to move on with his life. Roger (Maulik Pancholy) is a terrible stand-up comedian who cannot make friends. After six marriages, Charlotte (Sandra Bernhard) wants to learn how to be happy as a single woman. Terrance (Michael Rispoli) has anger management issues. Lewis (James McDaniel) is a drug addict and treats women like property. Dagney (Lindsey Kraft) suffers from intense issues of jealousy directed towards her fiancée. Eve (Michael Hyatt) is a documentary filmmaker who fakes her issues to observe the group for inspiration.
Of the other members from the group, Lindsay meets her match with sarcastic AJ (Justin Kirk). Abandoned by his birth mother, AJ suffers from the fear of abandonment and considers all women to be “bloodsuckers.” Since they are an unlikely pair, the group dares Lindsay and AJ to date for the month, but they must refrain from sex. Instead, they need to focus on getting to know each other through dates and conversation. By discovering the roots of their issues, Lindsay and AJ realize they are the answer to each other’s worst nightmares. However, will Lindsay’s fears be too strong to overcome?
Video
The video aspect ratio is 1.78:1. The video is of average quality. For the most part, colors are normal, and the lighting is good. The black levels are poor during some of the nighttime sequences.
Audio
The audio is in Dolby Digital 5.1 with an English language track, but no subtitles. The DVD does come with the Dolby Digital 2.0 track, but it is awful. It is difficult to distinguish the background sounds from the dialog track. However, the 5.1 track is just fine. The only noticeable problem occurs at the end of the film while the credits are rolling. The film presents a short sequence when everyone meets up at the local theater for the release of Eve’s documentary film about the group therapy sessions. They are talking to each other, catching up months after the end of August. While the sequence is playing, the music accompanying the credits is louder than the dialog. It is difficult to understand the characters against the music.
Special Features
There are no special features on the disc associated with the film. However, there are several trailers from other Maya Entertainment films.
Final Thoughts
See You in September is another one of those rom-coms released in February with the hope of earning a nice profit on Valentine’s Day. If you are mildly interested, I would give See You in September a chance for the holiday. Sometimes the film is entertaining, other times it can be boring to the point I began writing my grocery list for the week. The only highlight of the film is Justin Kirk who essentially carries the film. My issue with See You in September is its predictability. If anything, See You in September is a breath of fresh air from the rom-coms that endorse notions of true love and ‘happily ever after.’ See You in September reminds us that people have issues, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
