Director: Shira Piven
An absurdist comedy about borderline personality disorder, Welcome to Me risks offending audiences with its exploitation of a serious mental health disability. But Alice Klieg (Kristen Wiig) never faces mockery for her illness. Likewise, the film flirts with a broad sensibility in the execution of its humor, such as the ridiculous visual of Alice arriving on her new talk show in a swan boat. The image isn’t slapstick, however, or even quite in line with the type of awkward humor that Wiig has previously excelled at. It’s played directly. Piven doesn’t overuse cutaways to the appalled producers of the show, and when she shoots the audience members or home viewers (including stay at home mothers), they aren’t laughing so much as they are transfixed. The tonal complexities of Welcome to Me distinguishes it from most American comedies of recent years. It’s not particularly funny, nor does it always dwell in the sadness of Alice’s on-air meltdown. It just is.
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