Written & Directed by Nikole Beckwith
Starring Ed Helms, Patti Harrison, Tig Notaro, Julio Torres, and Anna Konkle
Runtime: 90 minutes
In theaters April 23rd and digital May 11th

by Matt McCafferty, Staff Writer

I’ve always wanted kids. It’s one of those big life decisions that I’ve never had to question. And my wife and I are extremely fortunate to have our two daughters. We are both very aware of the fact that having kids is not something to take for granted. Not only do we personally know of people who struggled with infertility, but there are many other scenarios where having a baby is not a straight-forward process.

If you watched a lot of movies growing up (like I did), you probably used them (knowingly or not) to learn about a wide variety of subjects. Watching people going through major life events on screen can give you some insight into what life might throw at you someday. But when it comes to having babies, movies really aren’t a great educational source. Films rarely cover the kinds of complications that can occur before or after the birth. It’s often a happy announcement to friends and family before a few quick scenes that lead us right to the mother and father happily cuddling up with their newborn baby in the hospital. All the real-life stuff that leads up to that moment is skipped over.

In the last ten years or so, it does seem like more movies are telling more stories about people who are not easily able to have children or entirely unable to have children for different reasons. Instead of working these stories in as subplots, we are seeing more movies use these scenarios at the center of their plots. Tamara Jenkins’ 2018 film Private Life is probably the best movie that I’ve seen in this little subgenre.

Together Together is one of the latest films to tell a story about someone who goes down a more unconventional path to having a baby. Ed Helms stars as Matt, a single man in his 40s who wants a child. Matt hires a 26-year old barista, Anna (Patti Harrison), to be his gestational surrogate. Coming off of an eight year relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Matt makes the decision that he wants to be a father at this time of his life.

The way the film mixes in comedy with its serious subject matter is pretty impressive. It’s a balance that feels just right without making the film go too far in either direction. It has its funny moments for sure; but more than anything, this is a movie about hope. Other than the first twenty minutes or so when Helms’ character is a little too over-the-top controlling, there’s a warm, wholesome feeling that flows through nearly every scene. Matt’s sincerity and unwavering devotion to starting a family makes him completely believable as a character that you can’t help but root for as the film goes on. As for Anna, even though it sounds like she is in it for the money at first, it’s quickly evident that she’s a good person legitimately looking to do something nice for someone else. Anna is a pretty complex character played incredibly well by Patti Harrison. Being that she is a comedian, it’s no surprise that her comedic timing is excellent. I’m a fan of Helms, but it’s Harrison who got the most laughs out of me. More surprisingly, she also nails every quiet, emotional moment. It’s only April and most of us are still burned out from all the “best of the year” talk from last year, but I’m definitely keeping her in mind for my eventual year end lists.

Getting back to the hope theme for a minute; in one scene where Matt and Anna are having an honest conversation about their lives, Matt says, “It’s weird to be perceived as hopeless in this moment when I’m actually incredibly hopeful.” It’s such a good line. Matt doesn’t care what others think about where he is in this period of his life. He has friends who are single and friends who are settled. He considers himself in between those two labels. And at 40 years old, he’s comfortable enough to go after what truly matters most to him.

The relationship that forms between Matt and Anna is more so a friendship that circles the idea of it being more than that. Even though the evolving relationship eventually takes over the story for a little while, it never feels like your typical rom-com. Director and writer Nikole Beckwith deserves a ton of credit for never giving in to the kind of clichés that often overtake these types of movies. She also wrote a terrific ending that completely lands the kind of emotional payoff that the film spends so much time building up to.