34. Black Swan (2010)

Code-name: Psycho-Lebanese
("Lebanese" is a "Glee" reference, by the way, Google it!)

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Choreography: Benjamin Millepied
Type: coming-of-age, R-rated sexy thriller

Cast:
Nina- Natalie Portman
Lily- Mila Kunis
Thomas Leroy-Vincent Cassel
Nina's mother- Barbara Hershey
Beth McIntyre- Winona Ryder
The Prince- David Millepied

Notable Awards and Nominations:
OSCAR- Best Actress- Natalie Portman
nomination-OSCAR-Best Picture
nomination- OSCAR- Best Director- Darren Aronofsky
nomination- OSCAR- Best Cinematography
nomination- OSCAR- Best Film Editing
Golden Globe- Best Actress (Drama)- Natalie Portman
nomination- Golden Globe- Best Picture- Drama
nomination- Golden Globe- Best Director- Darren Aronofsky
nomination- Golden Globe- Best Supporting Actress- Mila Kunis
AFI- Movie of the Year
nomination- Grammy- Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media

Write-up:

September 2011

The last Saturday of that month was when "Black Swan" came to HBO.
In more ways than one, one of the most stimulating and intriguing cinematic experiences I've ever had.

It got a lot of hype the previous awards season, but a lot of it was for... some could say... the wrong reasons. It wasn't released in a lot of theaters, but I'm willing to bet a lot of guys flocked (no pun intended, I promise) to theaters just to see Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis in that racy lesbian sex scene.

My dad saw it in-flight and when he told us about it, there was an air of caution in his tone.
Words like "paranoia" and "lesbianism" came up.
Even before he gave his thoughts, I had wanted to see this movie for a couple reasons. One of them being that it looked really beautiful and stunning from a visual standpoint. Mila Kunis is a “That 70′s show” alum and I was definitely curious to see how she’d do in a big movie role like this, something REALLY challenging. Then of course the lesbianism was an intriguing idea on its own.

...I'll go into it in more detail, obviously, but it was an exhilarating, intense, artsy film that I got really invested in. It wowed me with all that it brings to the table.
I added that it was a "coming of age" story because an underlying theme was Natalie Portman's character maturing from a naïve girl into a woman. And as someone with zero sexual experience, I felt like it was one of those movies I saw when I was 25 that accumulated my mind to the subject. To the point where the occasional sex scene doesn't make me squirm quite as much, so long as it's brief and is important to the plot.  

Again, that's another entry on its own, addressing that, but let's just say I came across a few movies afterwards where sex was nauseatingly overused.
One happened to be a Robert Pattinson movie where it was kinda disappointing that he didn't die at the end... his philandering character had zero redeemable qualities.

But, anyway, back to business.

The Premise and its Players

Before getting too far ahead of myself, I want to give props to the real ballerina on set, Sarah Lane. She reportedly got very upset that she wasn't given enough credit for her performance as Natalie Portman's dance double.
Whatever you brought to the set, Sarah, it was AWESOME.

***

Natalie Portman plays Nina Sayers, an aspiring ballet who had been part of this company for several years. The director/choreography of the studio Thomas (played by the very handsome Vincent Cassel) announces that the next production will be a reimagining of “Swan Lake.” 

I knew very little about this show going into this other than the signature Tchaikovsky score.
But after hearing the story, it sounded vaguely like "Swan Princess."
One of my favorite animated movies as a kid... I haven't seen it in years.

In that version, Princess Odette and her Prince were betrothed since they were kids. Back then, they hated each other. But when they grew up, they fell in love. Until a sorcerer abducts her and casts a spell on her where she can only resume her human form at night when she's on the lake with the full moon overhead.
The dramatic climax does borrow from the plot of "Swan Lake" where the sorcerer's assistant disguises herself as Odette and has the Prince swear a vow of undying love, the only thing able to break the spell. Because of this, she almost dies.
Obviously the kid's version of this story because there is a happy ending for her and the Prince.

In the actual show, Princess Odette is turned into a swan and only love can break the spell. She gets the Prince to fall in love with her, but her evil twin, The Black Swan, seduces the Prince away from her.
Thomas's reimagining has two distant differences:
1) the show ends with Princess Odette's suicide, jumping over a cliff into a field of sharp, pointy rocks
2) he wants the same girl to play the innocent Princess Odette AND her evil seductive twin.

The role is made available to Nina because the star of the company is getting on in years and gets fired because it's time for someone younger to take over. Beth is played by Winona Ryder, whom I didn’t even recognize (a lot of people said the same thing). After being forced into retirement, Beth has a breakdown and runs into ongoing traffic.
Nina visits her in the hospital twice. Both occasions are pretty dramatic, one way the price of perfection is demonstrated in the film overall.

Thomas knows of her skill, but doesn't believe Nina carries the air of seduction needed for the Black Swan. To show her what she lacks, he points out another ballerina, Lily (Mila Kunis) who exudes the sexuality he desires for this role.

As a result, a rivalry ensues, all of which are mind games brought on by Thomas for pitting them against each other and Nina's increasingly addled mental state.
One detail I distinctly remembered about the filming was director Darren Aronofsky kept Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis separate when they weren't shooting to help create the needed tension between their characters. Supposedly, that also included threatening text messages sent to them from each other.
I thought the gist of the movie was that Mila Kunis was a lesbian because it would explain the sex scene all of this was building up to. Just the way that they exchanged dialogue, that's how it came off to me. Or maybe that was the story I wanted to see come out of this. The tension between them, sexual or not, was so on-point that I came more invested as time went on.

I was also blinded by Vincent Cassel because I found him so attractive. I failed to see that his methods were on the sadistic side, having sex with the ballerinas in the company to free their minds for better dancing.
The assignment he gives Nina to free the sexual disposition of the Black Swan:
"When you go home, touch yourself."

So yeah, not the greatest movie to watch in mixed company.
The third time she attempts to follow through with this winds up being the lesbian sex scene.
The first two times, she stops short of an orgasm because she discovers her overprotective mother asleep in the chair by her bed and she has a mental episode in the bathtub.

Which brings me to the one R-rated aspect of this movie I really didn't like...
Nina had all kinds of hallucinations throughout the film. My least favorite was when she peeled a lot of skin back on her fingers after clipping her nails too short and there was a lot of blood. I'm not quite one of those people that faints at the sight of blood, but it does make me cringe. The same thing goes for needles (all thanks to the stuff I went previous to and after my scoliosis surgery). I just thought it was overkill, honestly, her bleeding from random appendages.

Other hallucinations include a growing rash (that she oddly never scratches) and feathers coming out of her skin randomly. Also seeing Lily in random places and her reflection taking on a life of its own.
That stuff, I thought, made for a pretty good horror movie/suspense thriller. I'm not the biggest fan of the horror genre, but "Black Swan" had a lot of the same ingredients and made them work in a way that was very compelling.

The sex scene come about after a night of partying out on the town, something Nina never does with her sheltered life under the constant vigilance of her mother.
Lily invites her to come along with her and a couple friends. Nina was about as awkward as I am in large gatherings with people I don't know. So Lily slips her a tab of ecstasy to loosen her up. The atmosphere transforms into a freaking rave. What an adrenaline rush and there was no end for ages... it was pretty awesome.

!SPOILERS AHEAD!

So it was a bit of a letdown when it was revealed that the sex scene never happened. Nina and Lily see each other the day after and Lily said that Nina disappeared after a couple hours and she didn't see her again for the rest of the night.... seriously? buzzkill, much.

But after whatever shenanigans happened the night before, Nina's mother clearly believes she is not well and locks her in her room on the opening night of the show.
Of course, she does bust out and fights to get her role back from Lily, who had received it as her understudy.

It was also kinda disappointing that the entire movie built up to opening night, so there wasn't as much dancing as I would have liked. But make no mistake, all of the best stuff was saved for last.
However brief it is in the 108-minute span of this film, the Black Swan sequence is incredible! Especially since her arms transform into wings. I wondered if it was even possible for her to revert to other role because she'd finally crossed to the dark side :-P

It should be noted that you need to pay attention to everything in the movie because it becomes increasingly difficult to discern reality from the hallucinations.
Another one of those jaw-dropping double-take moments was the final confrontation between Nina and Lily.

!AGAIN, MORE SPOILERS

STOP READING IF YOU WANT TO GET THE FULL EFFECT OF THE SHOCK VALUE

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

The tension hits a breaking point and Nina kills Lily...
only to find out later that she's still alive and she actually stabbed herself.

Despite that, she gives the performance of her life with the final stage of Odette's life... only to die in the name of perfection.

I saw this movie only once and the final 10 minutes a second time when my mom saw it. But I can still remember coming to the end.
I found it a little anti-climatic. The screen went white after her final line looking up at the camera: "I was perfect." with sirens in the background.
It would have been nice to know if she lived or not.

Some of the trivia I read does suggest that she does. The blood from her self-inflicted stab wound comes from a very suggestive place, which can be construed as an indication that she is officially a woman.
But personally, I prefer the more poetic ending that she died in the name of perfection. It really does make you think.

Not that any discipline I'd attempted in my life, other than schoolwork, demands that kind of perfection.
I'm a huge fan of gymnastics and figure skating, but more for the artistic expression than the skill. But it does help when the landings are stuck ;)

And for the record, the fact I'm doing this Darren Aronofsky film the same way his "Noah" production comes out is purely coincidence.

The same goes for my next film.

Coming Soon

With maybe one or two exceptions, my next slew of films are ones I'd loved watching for years. One was a 2010 film that introduced me to one of my favorite actresses.

But next week is a book-to-movie adaptation that worked out really well and it makes you rethink what you thought you knew about Biblical history. Unless of course you're an ultra-conservative Christian, in which case you're better off skipping out on this next one.

58. Charlie Bartlett (2007)

Code-name: Frosh NRVS
(translation: Ferris Bueller: freshman year)

Director: Jon Poll
Type: Off-Beat High School Dramedy
Written by Gustin Nash (only other known credit- Youth in Revolt)
Great musical score by Christophe Beck
Prominently featured song: "If you want to sing out"- by Cat Stevens

Release details:
premiered at Tribeca Film Festival 3 months before theatrical release

Cast:
Charlie Bartlett- Anton Yelchin (RIP 6/19/16)
Mrs. Marilyn Bartlett- Hope Davis
Susan Gardner- Kat Dennings
Principal Nathan Gardner- Robert Downey Jr.
Murphy Bivens -Tyler Hilton
Dr. Weathers- Stephen Young
Kip Cromwell- Mark Rendall
Superintendent Sedgewick- Derek McGarth
Dustin Lauderback- Jake Epstein

Write-up:

Program Notes

Be warned that I DO go long with this entry, but if you bear with me, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Thank You, RDJ and Thank You, YouTube

"Robert Downey Jr. freak-out scene" was among the suggested pages on my YouTube feedback after a night of watching his interviews on YouTube. I was so blown away that I did more research... and ultimately found the entire movie was uploaded there.

And for the record, I bought the DVD after watching it a couple times online.

Unexpected Pleasure

...Tread cautiously, there be spoilers afoot...

That was my initial reaction to this movie. Going strictly from my research into RDJ's resume, I didn't plan on "Charlie Bartlett" on the grounds that he played the antagonist. But after seeing that clip and hearing it being compared to "Ferris Bueller," my curiosity piqued.
2010 was a year full of great movies. Often times, those with the cleverest writing stayed with me the longest.

For me, "Charlie Bartlett" was a triumph both in writing and in the acting. Believe me, being as big a RDJ fangirl as I am, it says a lot that Anton Yelchin garnered just as much, if not more, of my attention. I came away believing Charlie Bartlett was one of those memorable, original characters I'd watched in a movie in a long time.

Let's get it straight from the get-go.
Charlie isn't perfect, beginning with his education.
We begin with him getting kicked out of, yet another, private school... for making fake ID's for the other students.

You have your private school stereotypes, pretentious young men who believe the world lives to serve them. Charlie is anything but that. His biggest goal in life, as is the case with the majority of teenagers, is achieving popularity. A recurring theme (or running joke, depending how you look at it) is him stating this and the adults in his life telling him there are more important things.
What I find most engaging about this guy is that he owns this role. His dialogue is quick-witted and lengthy, yet he breezes through it as if he'd been doing this for decades. While he has his flaws, he makes you root for him every time.

Something I noticed after seeing this a couple times:
There is an interesting contrast between how Charlie's character is developed compared to the story's antagonist, Nathan Gardner, who was recently promoted from history teacher to principal. Nathan's issues are more concrete and obvious whereas with Charlie, you have to pay attention or wait until later in the movie when the truth comes out in full.
Personally, it was an added bonus that their screen time was almost 50/50, so there wasn't a huge gap of time between scenes featuring either one of them.

In his first scene, we learn that Nathan (Robert Downey Jr.) is single father of teenage daughter, Susan (Kat Dennings). After setting himself up with a glass of alcohol (I have no idea if it's rum, scotch or something else), he checks his messages. One is from his estranged ex-wife, who believes he's not allowing Susan to contact her. The other is from the superintendent who insists being at the upcoming assembly tasked with introducing security cameras, seemingly under the impression the newbie principal can't handle a potential riot on his own.
Clearly the dude has stuff to be stressed about.

Charlie's first day goes as well as could be expected for the new kid.
The lows: getting a swirly and, later, beat up by the resident bully, Murphy Bivens... who I thought for sure was the guy who played Puck on "Glee"... the similarity was ridiculous!
The high: watch his audition for "Henry the V"... I won't spoil it, but I'll say he read for a role of the opposite sex and it is hilarious!

After coming home with the black eye (made me think of that scene from "The Karate Kid," without all the drama, lol), his mom calls Dr. Weathers. Supposedly the Bartletts have a psychiatrist on call. He talks about being bullied and also brings up the fact he's having trouble concentrating in class.
The solution: a prescription for Ritalin.
Charlie's reaction to the medication becomes extreme and, most likely, inaccurate... but nonetheless it's hilarious while raising some eyebrows..

Then Charlie has a "lightbulb" moment... to sell the remaining doses of his pills to the students while bringing in Murphy as a business partner. Let's just say it wouldn't be the last of Charlie's hair-brained schemes. Where his intentions are good, but he doesn't always think things through.

On the other side of things, Principal Gardner has to sift through his shenanigans, but he isn't exactly Ed Rooney, who made it his life's mission to bring Ferris Bueller to justice. He keeps things reasonable and level-headed for most of the picture. If punishments are handed out, it's after prodding from the superintendent..

The main plot kicks into high gear when Charlie befriends outcast Kip Crombwell, who asks if he can get hold of medication to help him.
This quickly blossoms into Charlie and Murphy's most profitable business. Charlie researches the symptoms, tells a host of psychiatrists he's experiencing them and he transfers the medication to his fellow students. Additionally, he holds "office hours" in the boys' bathroom where he gives advice.

If that didn't catch Principal Gardner's attention, Charlie's relationship with his daughter Susan would. Immediately after catching wind of it, he confronts Susan (unsuccessfully, I might add) and copes by drinking heavily. This is one of the most memorable scenes for me because of the song playing in the background... I don't know the name of it, but it really helps define how unhinged he is here.
But after he calms down a bit, he brings Charlie into his office at his next opportunity and gives him fair warning.

But the biggest controversy Charlie gets involved in is the additional of security cameras to the student center. One of Susan's friends, Henry Freemont, spends most of the movie campaigning for their removal. He insists on getting Charlie involved so they'll more likely to be heard.
Obviously, the superintendent sees this as a threat and pleads with Nathan to do something.
Personally, I think he takes it a little over the top. I mean, Charlie is the face of the movement, but it's not like he's personally working to make it happen. While the student strike ensues over this, Charlie doesn't actively participate and even says to Susan that he can understand where both sides are coming from.

Eventually, all hell does break loose.
Charlie and Nathan get into a confrontation. The scene is available on YouTube titled "what's in that pharmacy bag?"
Nathan is on edge, obviously, seeing Charlie give Susan this pharmacy bag and demands answers. One of two great intense scenes from Robert. The 2nd comes after the fall-out. Again, something else I recommend seeing because what is IN the bag isn't at all what he expected.

Then there's a riot at the school. Nathan loses his job and Charlie gets arrested on an assault charge (occurs in the previous scene mentioned above). Again, another great moment between Charlie and Nathan. Even as he's being hauled in cop car, Nathan locks eyes with Susan and Charlie... as if processing that his daughter chose her boyfriend over him.

The final part of the story arc happens on the premiere of the school play. Susan was cast as one of the leads and, hoping to do her a favor, Charlie goes to her house to convince her [now "disgraced"] dad to come.
Ultimately, the "freak-out" scene is Nathan "venting" (his latest "word of the day") while drunk and welding a fire arm.

Considering some of the crap that occurs in this movie, it's almost a miracle that none of the characters died or got severely injured.
Is it a little over the top in some places? Yes. But it wouldn't be the same movie without that little extra something, that adrenaline rush... especially that final climax.

Everything does work out and it would seem Charlie might make a living out of giving people advice... here's hoping he's learned how NOT to do it.

Notable Mentions

First, a few cameos from familiar faces:

Drake plays one of the students Charlie advises. His father is physically and verbally abuse.

Jake Epstein (who I knew from "The Zack Files" and others know from "Degrassi") plays the quarterback of the football team.

Six Degrees of Separation...Kevin Bacon... RDJ

On a number of occasions, I've felt compelled to follow up with certain actors on the basis they starred alongside Robert Downey Jr.
I know it sounds totally ridiculous, but every now and then, it works out AMAZINGLY.

To a lesser degree, I've sought out a few Anton Yelchin films since this. He was great in the "Fright Night" remake (it helped that his character was also called Charlie so I didn't lose the allusion that he IS this character). He was also good in "The Beaver" (Robert's connection to Mel Gibson was also behind that decision), and I'm still waiting to see the indie film "Like Crazy."

But... the biggest thing I got out of "Charlie Bartlett" was Kat Dennings.
I had seen her in "Raise Your Voice" with Hilary Duff, but she had a minor role as a reclusive pianist.
She played a small part in me wanting to see "Thor" (the larger part was he would be featured in "The Avengers").
Ultimately, if it wasn't for RDJ or this movie, I don't think I would have given "2 Broke Girls" a shot.

I saw the first 5 or so episodes online... now I just think Kat Dennings is freaking awesome in her own right. Her character, Max Black, is the type of girl I'd love to have as my best friend... but she does remind me a lot of my friend, Sam.
Coincidentally, Sam is a huge fan of "Charlie Bartlett" and when she befriended me in college, she dramatically changed my campus life almost the same way Max changed the life of Caroline Channing... a former rich girl who became broke because her dad was behind a Ponzi scheme.
But what I love most about Max is her dark sense of humor. Minus "the 7 words you can't say on television" and nudity, it comes off like a well-written R-rated movie. I was SHOCKED multiple times over those first episodes, how much she pushed the envelope... and I just couldn't get enough of it. To that day, that's still the case 8-)

Final Notes

Robert did this movie just before "Iron-Man" and is part of the reason I sometimes prefer his indie work to the blockbusters. Knowing me, there'll come a point when I'll address that in greater detail.:-P
It also is one of those rare occasions he plays a dad on screen, which is a nice personal touch, I think... even if Nathan Gardner isn't actually "dad of the year" material. When I heard he and his wife Susan were expecting their first baby together, I was hoping he'd have a girl because I wanted to see how he'd deal with a teenage daughter in real life.
Alas, that was not the case.

Updates

Robert and Susan had a daughter, Avri, a year or so after their son, Exton. So I still stand by my conviction- it'll be interesting to see him as a dad to a teenage daughter :P He'll probably be a push-over and Susan will be the stoic disciplinarian.

And I'm releasing and sending this post around at the news of Anton Yelchin's passing. I got a text from my friend Dave and found he'd died in a car accident.
2016 has been such a BAD year for passings. I'm still not completely over losing Prince. And Christina Grimmie (YouTube sensation and 3rd place finisher on Season 5 "The Voice") sent shockwaves through the music community with her death.

But this is just sad. Anton had a lot of talent and for it to be snuffed out so easily... the next "Star Trek" movie might see some additional revenue because it'll be his last role.

What I do know is that I'll be waiting this movie tomorrow to remember him.
The last time I saw it was New Year's Eve and I was seeing it by myself. The previous time, it was my first sick day in a couple years and it made me feel better. The time before, I saw it with my friends when I visited them on campus. Lots of good memories with that movie and half of them have just as much to do with Anton as RDJ.
 

59. She's Out of My League (2010)

Code-name: "A Hard 10"

Director: Jim Field Smith
Type: R-rated comedy

Cast:
Kirk Kettner- Jay Baruchel
Molly McCleash- Alice Eve
Stainer- T.J. Miller
Jack- Mike Vogel
Devon- Nate Torrence
Patty- Krysten Ritter
Cam- Geoff Stults
Marnie- Lindsey Sloane
Ron- Hayes McArthur
Dylan Kettner- Kyle Bornheimer
Debbie- Jessica St. Clair
Mr. Kettner- Adam LeFevre
Mrs. Kettner- Debra Jo Rupp


Write-up:

Call me naïve, prudish or whatever... this was the first R-rated movie I saw in theaters, one of two I saw that year (The other was "Due Date"... not the greatest, but I still found plenty of laughs along the way).
2010 was a great year for movies, went to see so many good ones, and this was one I couldn't wait to see again.

Jay Baruchel, who I'd been hoping to see in a break-out lead role since I first saw him in "Tropic Thunder," got me into the theater.
It was the writing and the characters that had me wanting to come back for more. Sean Anders & John Morris don't have many credits under their belts, but I want to give them a shout-out here for making this effort memorable and irresistibly quotable.

In a nutshell, this is the type of screenplay I would have loved to have written because the character interaction is written the way I talk with my closest friends. :-P
It's hilarious. At times, it's thought-provoking, and it carries just enough raunchiness to give it edge, but never overpowers.

Going into the movie, Kirk (Jay Baruchel) is still getting over his ex-girlfriend, Marnie (Lindsay Sloane).He gives her his speech about why they should get back together, but of course, she isn't buying into it.

Be cautious, there be spoilers afoot...

The only place I feel the writers failed was writing her character arc. Not just the fact she's a total bitch that makes me want to claw her eyes out whenever she's on screen, but pieces of it make no sense.
Supposedly, she doesn't get along with her parents and the Kettners "adopted" her... meaning she lives with him at his parents' house even though she's dating some other dude named Ron.
They never did explain why he kept calling Kirk "pirate" either. :/

After we're more or less introduced to her and Kirk's circle of friends, he meets Molly (Alice Eve) in the most random place: at work.

The guys work at the airport. Kirk and Stainer ("It's a nickname. Doesn't mean anything."... we do eventually find out what it means and that his real name is Wendell) work at TSA. Molly goes through security, but accidentally leaves behind her cell phone.

Her friend, Patty (Krysten Ritter) calls her phone to track it down. Kirk answers and they agree on a rendezvous point where he can return it... but not before a man across the aisle from them complains about her being on the phone. What followed was a bit of dialogue that came to mind during a situation we ran into at an airport.

Our situation: our plane back from our Australia trip was delayed. my aunt was calling my cousin to bring him up to speed. someone in the lounge told her to take it somewhere else because there was a sign on the wall that said "quiet area"
My thoughts: Where's Patty when you need her? :-P

Man: Excuse me. You're not supposed to be on your phone. It's bad for the plane.
Patty: Oh, excuse me? Are you a plane doctor? No? So shut the f--- up!

After that outburst, the man pressed the call button to ask for an attendant and the phone call had to end.

Overall, Patty is the type of person who doesn't hold anything back. I'd go as far to say she's the kind of girl friend I'd love to have. #girlcrush



Molly and Patty are event planners and Kirk, along with his friend Devon, meets them at the Warhol museum (where they're hosting an event) to return the cell phone. She invites them to stay around, but Patty's sister, Katie, gets them thrown out.

To make up for it, she invites Kirk to a hockey game. Stainer is his co-pilot for this double-date and he's under the impression Molly is setting him up with Patty (aka "the bitchy friend" because, seeing as he was with Marnie previously, "you like bitches").
To everyone's disbelief (except for the audience), Molly is into Kirk and wanted to set Patty up with Stainer (neither was interested in that).

The majority of this movie, as Molly and Kirk are going out, is spent discussing the "Tao of Love." How guys like Kirk (who Stainer believes is a "5") never end up with girls like Molly (who is a "hard 10").
According to Stainer, Kirk is a "5" because he looks like a geek. Jack does the math, adding 1/2 a point cuz he's a nice guy, and another 1/2 cuz he's funny, but the point is taken away because he drives a Dodge Neon ("the people that make that car don't even like it").
Per his made-up system, Stainer proclaims himself a 6, possibly a 7 because he's in a band.

Kirk: You play in a Hall & Oates cover band. I'm pretty sure that's a deduction
Stainer: (stands firm) Adult Education is a tribute band.

At one point, we do get to see Stainer do his best Daryl Hall impression. Which actually isn't too bad, if you can forgive him for being slightly off-key.
I'm not entirely sure if it was because of this movie or it was pure coincidence that I was hearing a lot of Hall & Oates on the radio after seeing this movie... either way, I picked up a copy of their greatest hits a few months afterwards. "Kiss on my list" also happens to be the first of their songs I fell in love with.

Everything is going well with him and Molly, remarkably. She spends an afternoon with his family (this includes Marnie and Ron) and it does nothing to deter her.
There are so many quotes in those scenes that it's impossible to go through them all. But just to share a few:

Dylan: (in the pool) Just wear underwear. It covers all the good s---
Molly: Underwear would be fine... if I were wearing any (smiles)

Dylan: I can make any car into a convertible in 15 minutes. Wanna know why? Global warming
Ron: ...according to the movie "the day after tomorrow," Earth's temperature is actually getting colder

Dylan: (after Molly gives them a rough guesstimation of the price one of their events fetches) You got your head on right. And you don't do underwear.

Most of their characters have their "running jokes" and personality quirks that feed their dialogue.
Stainer is the keeper of the "Tao of Love."
Jack is the sex expert.
Devon alludes to a lot of Disney movies :-P including "Aladdin" and "Beauty & the Beast" and keeps asking Kirk if he came up in conversation since her friend Wendy (who was at the Warhol event) said to Kirk "I think your friend is hot"
And clearly Dylan becomes obsessed with whether or not Molly is wearing underwear.

So after this eventful afternoon, he and Molly get a little hot and heavy at her apartment. Kirk has a "premature denotation" just as Molly's parents unexpectedly stop by.
Fun fact: they're played by Alice Eve's actual parents

Not knowing what to do, Kirk rushes off with little to no explanation.
But at her next event, an air show featuring her ex-boyfriend Cam, Kirk gets up the courage (with help from Jack) to give it to her straight. Straighter than any guy, possibly, in the history of movies.
As Patty put it: "no guy in their right mind would make that up."

Cam met Kirk on his second date with Molly and, for whatever reason, he was under the impression he was her new gay friend that she was hanging out with.
Sooner or later, she does straighten him out.
Unfortunately, he plants another seed of doubt in his head (in addition to all the doubts from his friends and family).... not only that she doesn't like being called perfect, but she has a "defect."

The defect turns out to be webbed feet... and it isn't the only truth that comes out when Kirk and Molly are on the verge of having sex for the first time.
You'd think the most awkward part of it would be Molly finding out his balls were shaved (that was likely the most "graphic" scene in the movie, but we only saw the body double from behind). But all of the bits of insecurity Kirk has come out in this venting session where he more or less walks out of the apartment and they break up.

So of course the next logical step for Kirk to stay is getting back with Marnie and going with his family on their yearly Branson trip... yeah, I don't know why Ron is there either. The dude must be really deluded :-P

Lucky for him, Stainer comes to his senses about his own relationship with a "hard 10."
He tries to get Kirk off the plane, but fails miserably (did the flight attendants just overlook the fact he was TSA? ...yes, I'm aware he's an idiot).
Enlisting the help of Patty (their conversation is perfectly written for those two characters, just saying), they get Molly to the airport to get back with Kirk.

This is also the part where Stainer reveals the truth about his name, but I'll leave you to see the movie to find that out ;)

Kirk then goes on to defy another cliché in movies... he gives an epic "f--- off" speech to Marnie and his family, but he's unable to disembark cuz the doors are already closed... go figure.
He's just lucky his friends can pull strings in the airport to do him a solid... by the way, I'm not sure if any of their shenanigans are legal, but thanks to movie magic, they get away with it... and Kirk and Molly beat the odds.

Final Remarks:

Gotta give a final shout-out to Michael Andrews, the guy behind the music in this movie.
In the earlier parts of the movie, I thought for sure it was Christophe Beck behind the score because there are some similarities.
Mainly, though, I gotta commend him for including "Over my head (Cable Car)" and "She's so High" in the soundtrack. Being familiar with songs used in movie is a big thing for me, something I revel in and enjoy laying back to.

Michael Andrews also scored "Bridesmaids" and a few episodes of "Undeclared," a show that put actors like Jay Baruchel and Seth Rogen on the map. (I offer that up as trivia, not because I saw the show personally... although I probably should).