Laggies is an easy breezy chick flick – good for a few laughs, a bit of drama, a somewhat relatable story, and solid performances from Keira Knightly, Chloë Grace Moretz, and (still) one of the most under-appreciated actors of our time, Sam Rockwell (case in point: The Way, Way Back). The film is ultimately about growing up, taking responsibility for your choices in life, and finding your path.
Knightly suppresses her British accent to play Megan, an American adrift in a quarter-life crisis. Her story picks up ten years after senior prom and high school graduation. While Megan’s circle of friends have embraced ‘adulthood’, Megan is content to hang out at her parents’ house and spin signs for her dad’s accounting business. When her boyfriend proposes marriage (and other stuff happens too), Megan decides to lay low for a week. She hides out in the home of her new bestie, 16-year-old Annika (Moretz) and Annika’s single dad (Rockwell), a divorce lawyer struggling to recover from his ex-wife’s disappearing act. Rockwell is cynical and funny and endearing… and increasingly attracted to Annika, who fails to mention that she’s engaged. The pairing of Rockwell and Knightly’s characters borders on potentially creepy because of the age difference – and Megan’s friendship with Annika – but the two are cute together and the chemistry is generally believable.
Laggies is somewhat formulaic and predictable, but it’s also sweet and funny, with enough surprising and poignant moments to elevate it beyond your basic romantic dramedy fluff. It’s rated R for language, some sexual material, and teen partying. In other words, it’s fine for older teens – and their moms – and just about anyone hankering for a chick flick alternative to the latest Nicholas Sparks offering!