Just Before I Go

Courteney Cox's directorial debut (and, may I suggest, hopefully her last) is a bizarre mixture of frat-boy 'humour' and well-meaning introspection.

Seann William Scott stars as 41 year old Ted, a pet supply store manager, who decides to postpone committing suicide so that he can visit his hometown one last time, and provide closure on the people he grew up with.

As you'd imagine, there is a romantic story arc involved. Ted, upon tracking down the teacher who used to torment and bully him, discovers that not only is that same teacher now deaf and oblivious to his 'revenge' rant, but her granddaughter is a rather attractive young lady who he begins to take a shine towards.

That is merely one aspect of the narrative, and it's surprisingly low-key, and handled rather well. The rest of the film is where it all falls apart.

Garrett Dillahunt (of Justified fame, and many other things) plays Ted's brother, Lucky, with whom he stays for the duration of the film. Through him, we are introduced to his wife, Kathleen, who through clear frustration at the state of her marriage, demonstrates what we're later reliably informed is commonly performed for visiting men, by way of 'sleepwalking masturbation'. This is basically the tip of the iceberg, but aptly sums up what is wrong with the film. Although there is clearly trouble within that marriage, the way Kathleen is presented is crass, inappropriate and just the most unsubtle way of presenting what is actually a very common, and quite serious issue for many.

On a par with Ted's own suicidal intentions, is the story of Ted's nephew, Zeke (played by Kyle Gallner) who is also suffering. Owing to social pressures, especially from his friends at school and fearing the reaction of a staunchly 'macho' father, he is unable to reveal to anyone that he is gay. As a result of this, and also to cover his own insecurities, he bullies his boyfriend Romeo, who himself is openly gay.

The way the film addresses the highly sensitive nature of suicide and homosexuality is, at times, highly commendable, in so far as the writing successfully highlights how torturous both topics can be for those who live them on a daily basis. However, there are interactions later on in the film which make you question the agenda of those involved in the making of the film.

One scene in particular has Ted pouring his heart out about his own experiences, revealing how much pain and confusion he's going through, all the while the camera frames it so the audience is treated to a boner gag, helpfully sending up the fact that Lucky and his partner from work - he's a cop - are either fucking like bunnies, or really want to. The imagery of the clearly-upset Ted sitting at the table, with a visual sex gag juxtaposed within the same shot, is analogous to the whole film, and sadly sums up the film's inability to sensitively or maturely tackle any of the issues it so brazenly highlights.

It's a mystery as to how a film so bipolar in concept, was penned, but it's an absolute shambles that it was actually made and distributed to audiences around the world, given how it provides so much exposure to these real life, genuine problems, and then shoves equal measure of farce and belligerence right back.