Most romantic comedies are about how couples meet. Very rarely do they deal with how this relationship with devolve when things grow cold and distant. Granted this lacking in the genre might come from the simple idea that who wants to take a date film to a movie where the loving couple busts up in two hours of internal ugliness. But luckily some people dare including Zoe Lister-Jones (My Life in Pieces) who wrote and directed Band Aid which figured out how to make this fragile time entertaining.
Anna (Lister-Jones) and Ben (The Mindy Project‘s Adam Pally) are a young married couple that are hitting the rocks hard. He’s unemployed. She had a book deal fall through and must spend hours behind the wheel driving for Uber. It doesn’t help that he spends his days on the sofa playing video games while the dishes pile up in the sink. Tensions build up further since he’s lost his libido and his mother is pestering them to have a kid. There’s so many fuses burning between them. They go into the visit with their marriage therapist who reached her own breaking point with her. In desperation, she suggests instead of arguing, they should turn their clashes into songs. It’s works for country music. The duo creep into the garage, pick up a guitar and bass and make music about how they annoy each other. Their neighbor Dave (Portlandia‘s Fred Armisen) drops by and ultimately becomes their drummer. The trio feel they have something, but Dave can’t handle being around the two when they pick on each other. Can they keep it together long enough to play an open mic night at a nearby club.
Band Aid is a loud yet intimate semi-romantic comedy. Lister-Jones and Pally nail playing the couple that seem perfect for each other, but a whining nightmare to be around. Their songs perfectly illustrate the elements of their lives that annoy. Armisen comes off as a bit of a side character in an episode of Portlandia which helps the comedy element. Luckily Band Aid doesn’t fall into the obvious traps. The music element doesn’t get them swept into tales that get repeated on old Behind the Music episodes. They don’t become the next big thing and play SXSW to a bidding war. Although that could be the sequel. The film ultimately deals with their pursuit to use the band to take enough pressure off their relationship so they can relax around each other. Or will they break up the band and their marriage like Sonic Youth.
The video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The transfer looks great with all the details in the garage on view as they work out their songs and differences. The audio is 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio so you can get the club feel at home. You can also hear a 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio track if you’re into stereo. The movie is subtitled in English and Spanish.
Music Video (6:42) has the video start as an interview, but cuts into the music.
Deleted Scenes (10:00) includes more time at the kid party, Uber drives and the record company executive played by Jerry O’Connell.
Outtakes (3:16) are little comedy moments including one actor swearing he was supposed to work with a different Zoe. These are more bloopers than outtakes.
Theatrical Trailer (2:32) shows a relationship on the verge of destruction that needs to do a drastic project.
Shout! Factory presents Band Aid. Directed by: Zoe Lister-Jones. Screenplay by: Zoe Lister-Jones. Starring: Zoe Lister-Jones, Adam Pally, Susie Essman & Fred Armisen. Running Time: 90 minutes. Rated: R. Released: September 5, 2017.
