Review: ‘The Worst Year of My Life’ is a dispiriting romantic dramedy
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Imagine getting stuck on a plane next to a bitter, whiny narcissist who spends the entire flight telling you about his traumatic breakup with his lying, cheating ex-girlfriend. That’s what it’s like to watch “The Worst Year of My Life,” a dispiriting romantic dramedy that plays like a DIY “Annie Hall,” minus the laughs and charm.
Much of the film finds the faux-noble Kyle (Trevor St. John David) looking back on his three-year roller-coaster romance with Amber (Amy Vorpahl, also a producer) as he rants about her to his comely — and implausible — therapist (Cate Beehan).
Seems all was peachy between nascent stand-up comic Kyle and vegan baker Amber — at least in Kyle’s mind — until Amber threw him under the bus for the hotter Todd (Nicholas Tucci). But, we will learn, money woes, communication breakdowns and childish behavior also played into the Kyle-Amber downturn.
Writer-director-editor Jonathan Smith uses wan fantasy gimmicks and a jumpy flashback structure to tell his tale. But mostly it’s talk, talk, talk — and mostly by a ping-ponging Kyle (“I’m great!” “I’m a loser!”), who becomes an insufferable boor as the movie grinds on. (David’s nasty-mopey performance doesn’t help.)
“The Worst Year of My Life” cries out for a “he said, she said” approach, given how both Kyle and Amber contributed to their relationship’s demise. But Amber so often comes off as such a dreadful mate that frankly, the less of her, the better.
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“The Worst Year of My Life”
MPAA rating: None.
Running time: 1 hour, 21 minutes.
Playing: Arena Cinema, Hollywood.
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The Worst Year of My Life
The Worst Year of My Life is a comedic drama about a down-on-his-luck romantic named Kyle who, one week before proposing to his girlfriend, discovers that she's been sleeping with another ma... Read all The Worst Year of My Life is a comedic drama about a down-on-his-luck romantic named Kyle who, one week before proposing to his girlfriend, discovers that she's been sleeping with another man. The Worst Year of My Life is a comedic drama about a down-on-his-luck romantic named Kyle who, one week before proposing to his girlfriend, discovers that she's been sleeping with another man.
- Jonathan Smith
- Trevor St. John David
- Amy Vorpahl
- Cate Beehan
- 5 User reviews
- 10 Critic reviews
Top cast 86
- Standup Comic
- Homeless Man
- Kyle's Boss
- Amber's Boss
- Bakery Customer
- Bakery Worker
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
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- Trivia Director Jonathan Smith often jokes that this film is "edited within an inch of its life." Indeed, between the first and final cuts of the film, he excised 14 minutes of footage, moved numerous scenes to different places in the story, reduced certain scenes to just two or three shots, and re-edited entire sequences in ways that were significantly different from the shooting script. The audio for many of the actors' line readings was often Frankenstein'ed together from numerous takes, sometimes with even single words cut into the middle of a line. Additionally, the film is filled with special effects shots that are hidden to the naked eye. In one instance, Jonathan even cut out an actor's head and superimposed it over the actor's body earlier in the scene to reduce a pause between two lines and thus shorten the scene.
- Goofs When Amber sends a "Happy Valentine's Day" text, the date on her iPhone reads August 4th.
- Soundtracks What You Do To Me Written and Performed by Chantilly
User reviews 5
"worst year" is a very good and quirky indie flick.
- May 11, 2015
- February 13, 2015 (United States)
- United States
- Official Site
- Official Site (Distributor)
- Vile Henchmen Productions
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Technical specs
- Runtime 1 hour 21 minutes
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‘the worst year of my life’: film review.
Jonathan Smith's low-budget comedy/drama depicts the downward spiral of a three-year relationship
By THR Staff
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Worst Year of My Life Still - H 2015
Anyone who’s ever heard the deadly sentence “I love you, but I’m not in love with you” from a significant other will find much to relate to in director/screenwriter Jonathan Smith ‘s dissection of a three-year relationship that goes south. Marked by inventive stylistic techniques and much insight into the dynamics between a couple who drift irretrievably apart, The Worst Year of My Life wears its influences a little too obviously on its sleeve—Smith honestly admits to “ripping off” one of his favorite films, Annie Hall , in the press notes—but it overcomes its ultra-low budget limitations with enough cleverness to make the filmmaker someone to watch.
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The main characters are Kyle ( Trevor St. John David ), a struggling stand-up comic, and Amber ( Amy Vorpahl ), who struggles with pretty much everything. As their relationship progresses, Kyle bankrolls Amber’s vegan bakery venture in an effort to prop up her career, a gesture that ultimately proves fruitless.
The Bottom Line Anyone who's ever suffered through a tortured break-up will find much to relate to here
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Told in flashback form, and sometimes in flashbacks within flashbacks, the film charts the relationship from its rapturous beginnings, when either partner can do nothing wrong, to its bitter ending after Amber cheats on Kyle with their mutual friend Todd ( Nicholas Tucci ). The story of the ill-fated union is related via therapy sessions conducted between the deeply bitter Kyle and his improbably beautiful shrink ( Cate Beehan ).
It’s familiar material to be sure, but it’s propped up by witty, insightful dialogue and amusing sequences in which Kyle conjures up such fantasy scenarios as a mock “Dating Game,” an Old West shootout, and a boxing match.
That the storyline was inspired by personal experiences seems obvious, and one of the film’s more problematic aspects is that Amber is depicted in deeply unflattering terms, with her malfeasances including lying, cheating and even criminal behavior. It would have been easier to accept Kyle as a more reliable narrator—and the story is told entirely from his point of view—if the scales had been a little more balanced.
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Still, it’s an impressive achievement, and the filmmaker is to be commended for casting lead performers who actually look like real people rather than the models of physical perfection usually seen in romantic comedies. Opening theatrically on the same day as the fantasy-purveying 50 Shades of Grey , it provides a refreshing alternative that deals in realistic fashion with the sort of relationship we all find ourselves in at one time or another.
Production: Vile Henchmen Productions Cast: Trevor St. John Dvid, Amy Vorpahl, Cate Beehan, Nicholas Tucci, Nicole Day, Brandie Posey, Deidre Scott, Rachel Kerbs Director/screenwriter/executive producer/editor: Jonathan Smith Producers: Nicole Day, Bernie Stern, Amy Vorpahl Director of photography: Matt Gulley Composer: Julie Meinswald
No rating, 81 min.
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