Guys reading this, don’t just dismiss it as a girls-night-out comedy: For a Good Time, Call … has plenty of heart and raunchy laughs to make both genders happy, and believe it or not, there’s a little wish fulfillment in there for you, too.
After unexpectedly getting dumped and kicked out of her home, sheltered, Long Island-born Lauren (Lauren Anne Miller) finds herself in need of a place to live. Katie (Ari Graynor), a girl she met briefly and had a less than pleasant experience with years before in college, coincidentally has a spare room in her Gramercy Park, NY apartment and a financial need for a roommate. With some prodding from their mutual friend Jesse (Justin Long, doing his most hilarious work in years), the two put aside their past “frenemy” relationship in order to help each other. Soon Lauren discovers that Katie is partly paying her share of the bills by working as a phone sex operator. Having a head for business, Lauren immediately sees ways that Katie can greatly increase her profits, and soon the two are running their own very successful business taking calls from guys in need of that special kind of auditory stimulation. Along the way, the two learn from each other and become best friends, but that friendship gets tested by Lauren’s disapproving parents (Mimi Rogers, Don McManus), Katie’s nice-guy regular caller Sean (Mark Webber), and the drama that comes from running that kind of business on the sly out of their own home.
Director Jamie Travis, best known for his work with short films and documentaries, and the cast of crew of For a Good Time, Call … shot the entire film in 16 days on a budget of $1.6 million, working from a script written by Miller and writer/producer Katie Anne Naylon based on their real-life experiences as phone sex operators. As such, the film feels small, but it’s packed full of little details, like particulars about landlines and credit card billing, that add to the authenticity of the girls’ nighttime caller experiences. Add in some bits about vibrators, fake orgasms, and unforgettable cameos by Kevin Smith and Seth Rogen as callers and you have a laugh-out romp that you’ll be giggling about for hours after you leave the theater.
In terms of performances, Miller is charming and holds her own, and Long, as mentioned earlier, is funny in every one of his scenes (just imagine his character from Dodgeball all grown up and out of the closet), but the real revelation here is Graynor, who manages to pull off the trick of presenting Katie as far more than just the obnoxious party girl from college that everyone thinks of her as. It’s reminiscent of her memorable work in Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist back in 2008, but given more heart and depth, and more than just a running joke about turkey sandwiches.
Yes, there are some elements of the plot that smack of fantasy and wish fulfillment. In particular, the subplot featuring Sean’s awkward and sweet courtship of Katie, and her reasons for anxiety about dating, comes off as more than a little far-fetched, but it’s easy to forgive those bits when you’re having this much fun with the rest of the proceedings. Forgive the easy joke here, but it simply must be said: For a good time, go see this movie.
Score: 3.5 out of 5
For a Good Time, Call …
Starring Ari Graynor, Lauren Anne Miller, Mark Webber and Justin Long. Directed by Jamie Travis.
Running Time: 85 minutes
Rated R for strong sexual content throughout, language and some drug use.