Los Angeles is known for being a town where it is hard to meet people and have meaningful interactions. Angelinos live in their cars and do not frequently use public transportation like other big cities such as New York and Chicago, further lessening the chance you will randomly catch someone’s eye across a crowded subway car. There is certainly a predominant bar and night life scene in LA, but it is rare to walk away from those interactions with anything more than a random hook up.
Forev gives audiences a glimpse into single life in Los Angeles for two 20-somethings looking to connect with someone, but not quite sure how. Pete (Matt Mider) is a mild mannered guy spending an evening in with a pizza and some TV, but his night is quickly interrupted when his neighbor Sophie (Noël Wells) crashes through his door in the throes of a very intense make out session. After overhearing her potential hook up bragging about her on the phone to his friends, she quickly sobers up and as it becomes clear Pete does not look put out because Sophie mistook his apartment for her own, he may have a thing for Sophie himself.
This would be the moment the story focuses on Pete as he works up the courage to ask Sophie out on a date, but Pete has a different proposal in mind. After a discouraging audition (Sophie is naturally an out of work actress) she agrees to an impromptu road trip with Pete to Arizona to pick up his sister Jess (Amanda Bauer) from college.
Written and co-directed by James Leffler and Molly Green, also the duo’s debut directing a feature length film, Forev is an impressive blend of believable characters and natural, but funny, comedic bits. When Sophie thinks she has botched her audition, she lies on the floor of Pete’s apartment and announces she is going to stay there forever, a natural thing we have all probably said at one time or another, but a statement that slyly nods at how everything feels like forever at this age.
Pete may not be a character with any deep, dark secrets, but when he hears the news of Jess’ break-up, he takes it almost harder than she does, hinting at his desire to connect with people (as he thought he had with her ex.) Pete is an affable guy who quickly takes to those around him, but this behavior also suggests a slightly naïve nature which causes him to feel close to people he barely knows simply because they are nice to him. Before the road trip, Sophie comments that she does not really know Pete outside of their apartment complex, a telling statement seeing as she clearly felt comfortable enough to come in and out of his apartment like an old friend.
Films about road trips and trying to get the girl are not a new concept, but Forev gives this narrative new life thanks a charming cast and dialogue that feels natural and never forced. Forev does ask some bigger questions, but does so in a lighthearted way that assures audiences not everything is forever or permanent, and few things are ever worth the stress and heartache so many of us go through at this age. Forev shows that sometimes it is good to throw caution to the wind and live in the moment – however long it may last.
The Upside: Full of awkward, but authentic, moments, Forev is surprisingly funny with a cast of fresh, unknown faces that deliver promising performances.
The Downside: Some of the awkward moments seem to occur due to the inexperience of the actors rather than the purpose of making the characters more relatable.
On the Side: Mider, Wells, and Bauer all have writers credits one the film as well having provided additional material to Leffler and Green’s screenplay.
