I get the impression that large segments of the population absolutely despise Keira Knightley. I think she is one hell of an underrated actress – about the only bad performance I’ve ever seen her give was in The Imitation Game (for which she was nominated for an Academy Award – go figure!) She has an almost magical naturalness and charisma on-screen, and her technique is quite flexible. But what’s more, she clearly has excellent taste in scripts, and as a result is a very good sign in movies. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Begin Again, A Dangerous Method, Never Let Me Go, Atonement – they’re all very interesting, enjoyable and unusual movies, movies in which she shines in very different types of roles. We can now add Laggies to this list of wonderful, off-beat Keira Knightley films.

Laggies is a film about lagging behind a bit in life, as well as not fitting in socially; both themes are cinematic favorites of mine, and although Laggies is not a super-deep exploration of either, it is still entertaining and insightful. Knightly plays a 28 year old who just does not want to grow up, working as a street signboard in her overly-doting father’s tax business. When her boyfriend proposes out of the blue she freaks out, runs away under false pretext, and starts hanging out with random teenager Chloe Grace Mortez and her odd-ball father. It sounds like the kind of film that could be absolutely terrible, so what makes Laggies so successful? First, Knightly is terrific in the role, and the chemistry between her and Mortez (and between her and all Mortez’s teenage friends) is so natural and convincing you can actually believe they would accept this 28 year old misfit into their ranks. Secondly, the character of the father is very unusual in film – one almost never sees a straight, positive, honest portrayal of a successful, quirky, geeky male misfit in his 40s – the concept is so fresh its almost disorienting. All the main characters are nicely drawn and traverse pleasing developmental arcs. The film is structured well, with pretty good dialog (the set up of Knightly’s relationship with her father was a masterpiece of efficiency), and if the humor is not necessary laugh-out-loud, the film is nonetheless consistently charming. The supporting casting and acting is solid. Even Chloe Grace Mortez, who by any standard is an incredibly feeble actress, actually turns in a pretty decent performance, though a big part of this is her being propped up by Knightly’s all-pervading charm.

I loved Laggies. It’s a delightful story for the lagging, retarded odd-ball in all of us. I highly recommend it!