No two individuals deal with grief the identical means, and no two conditions involving coping with a horrible loss are ever an identical. But Vanessa (Jillian Bell) could have essentially the most distinctive grief expertise ever when she meets an alien (Natalie Morales) who seems precisely like Jennifer, her lately deceased and really dearly missed lifelong greatest good friend.

This weird, heartbreaking, however in the end cathartic encounter performs out throughout I’m Totally Fine, a melancholy new comedy from director Brandon Dermer and author Alisha Ketry. Along with Bell and Morales, the forged additionally includes a small however enjoyable flip by What We Do within the Shadows’ Harvey Guillén—so in the event you ever wished to see Guillermo play a chipper DJ who retains celebration medicine in his report bag, you will have a purpose to look at I’m Totally Fine.

But whereas Guillén is pleasant, the film belongs to Bell. When we first meet her character, she’s crying in her automobile on the facet of the highway, decided to observe by means of on a weekend journey that was alleged to be a bash celebrating her and Jen’s enterprise success. Instead, it’s Vanessa alone in a rental mansion, grappling with uncooked anguish, popping Xanax, and getting wasted on champagne introduced by caterers who insist on establishing the celebration she’s already paid for however doesn’t need. The subsequent morning, she awakens with a raging hangover to seek out that Jen is in some way alive once more and hanging out in the home along with her, and instantly assumes she’s shedding her thoughts.

It’s a legitimate concern, even when the Jen-like girl—who has awkward physique language, speaks in a stilted monotone, inadvertently drains the battery lifetime of any gadget in her neighborhood, and chugs gallons of olive oil—assures her, “I am not Jen. I am simply an extraterrestrial who has taken her form.” She’s a “species observation officer,” beamed to Earth for 48 hours to watch her pre-selected topic. Vanessa’s nonetheless undecided of her personal sanity, however when Alien Jen reveals she has all of Human Jen’s reminiscences, Vanessa agrees to play alongside, figuring, “It might be fun to see how unstable I can get!”

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You can most likely already see the place I’m Totally Fine is headed—harm emotions and arduous truths get aired out and the emotional rollercoaster spins round a couple of occasions; you would possibly not predict the a number of Papa Roach sing-alongs, nonetheless—however the highway getting there feels genuine. The script presents a satisfying exploration of want achievement, as a result of who wouldn’t need to spend a bonus 48 hours with a departed liked one, or a minimum of an inexpensive facsimile of them, to say all of the belongings you want you had stated, goof round collectively one final time, and obtain some much-needed closure?

Morales is endearing because the alien who’s startled when she begins to look after her analysis topic, however Jillian Bell is the film’s coronary heart. Bell has a protracted comedy resume, however her work right here builds on the efficiency she gave in 2019’s Brittany Runs a Marathon—one other story of an advanced girl working by means of some main life adjustments. Somehow Bell’s character feels simply as grounded and relatable right here, anchoring a narrative that feels deeply honest regardless of the wacky sci-fi plot twist at its heart.

I’m Totally Fine hits theaters, digital, and on demand November 4.

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