Long Story Short Synopsis: Teddy wakes up the morning after his wedding to discover that every few minutes he’s jumping forward to the next year of his life.
Directed by: Josh Lawson
Written by: Josh Lawson
Released: February 11, 2021
Runtime: 90 minutes
Rated: R
On New Year’s Eve, Teddy (Rafe Spall) meets Leanne (Zahra Newman) after mistaking her for his girlfriend. There is an instant attraction, and they’re soon making a life together, despite Teddy’s hesitance to ever talk about or plan his future.
Just before they get married, a woman asks Teddy what he would do if he woke up one day and lost a year of his life. Teddy brushes it off, but the morning after his wedding, he finds his life has indeed jumped ahead a year. As time presses forward, Teddy watches his life and marriage unravel, no matter how hard he tries to fix the problems.
Long Story Short is a new take on the Groundhog Day-time loop idea and even gives the Bill Murray comedy its due by mentioning it a couple of times in the movie. But instead of Teddy reliving the same day over and over, his life jumps ahead a year, over and over, to the anniversary of his marriage to Leanne. Teddy is not always told specifically what happened in the year he lost, but it’s very clear to him that things are going very wrong. He has a daughter, his marriage to Leanne is on the rocks, and he’s become a workaholic.
The movie depends solely on Rafe Spall’s ability to convey Teddy’s confusion, devastation, determination, and acceptance, and Spall delivers. In my opinion, he’s an underrated actor, and I think Long Story Short could have easily delved into sentimental hooey if not for his nuanced performance.
I have not seen Zahra Newman in anything before, but she was really fantastic as Leanne, even though Spall clearly has the flashier role. They had great chemistry together, which was a big reason why I invested in their relationship and the outcome of their love story. Sure, Long Story Short’s ending is pretty predictable, but I was still hooked on the journey these two characters took together.
Writer and director Josh Lawson produced something heartwarming and clever that surprised me. There are a couple of contrived moments, and I think the movie could use a tiny bit of fine-tuning, but honestly, I really loved it. It conveys the familiar message that life is short and that we should make the most of our time on this planet, but it isn’t preachy or gooey. It reminded me a lot of the ending of It’s a Wonderful Life when George Bailey is returned to the present with his wife and family waiting for him. I may or may not have wiped away a few tears.
Watched: 04.23.2022
Long Story Short Notable Song: Grass is Greener by St. Paul & the Broken Bones
