We start—why not?—with a veggie burger.
Lucy and Jane, best friends in their 30s, have been so close for so long that when they meet at the eatery, Jane memorizes Lucy’s regular order: a veggie burger and sweet potato fries.
And so when, at the end of “Am I OK?”, Lucy orders a tomato and spinach omelet, a slight look of hurt crosses Jane’s face. It seems silly – it was just a veggie burger – but for Jane it was something familiar and comforting that is now gone.
There are some sweet, subtle touches like that in this directorial debut from Tig Notaro and Stephanie Ellin – far better than those occasional attempts at broad humor that feel forced, or at least like a different movie altogether.
And of course, there’s Johnson herself, who remains the clear focus of the camera throughout, and there’s a good reason for that: her always winning authenticity, which shines through film after film, even at times when the material around her seems underwhelming.
The story here is simple and heartwarming. It’s a story that’s actually true, but the twist is that the person who’s actually the truth is 32 years old, a decade older than what we see in most stories.
This particular story is that of the film’s writer, Lauren Pomerantz, who revealed her identity at the age of 34. Her closeness to the film’s proceedings is evident in some startlingly poignant moments – for example, the pain Lucy feels when a seemingly straight woman plays with her emotions. It’s one of the film’s most touching passages.
After an opening montage that establishes the female friendship at the core of the film, we begin in the aforementioned diner, where Jane tells Lucy that she should really get together with a cute male friend who clearly likes her: “Just do it,” she says. Lucy can’t explain why she doesn’t want to do it.
Meanwhile, Jane, the more professionally advanced of the two, is about to have a big change in her life. Her boss offers her the chance to leave Los Angeles and open her own office in London. Plus, her amazing boyfriend is coming over. But the news is devastating to Lucy – and you can tell by the fact that when Jane tells her over drinks one evening, she keeps saying “Awesome!”
After drinking lots of tequila, the two cry together, as close friends do while peeing in the bathroom, and then later, while sleeping together. There, Lucy finally tells Jane that she likes girls.
Jane is nothing if not supportive. In fact, always ambitious, she tells Lucy that she will be “the star of the lesbian community.” And she resolves to help her find a woman, starting with an excursion to a gay bar. However, it is Jane who ends up kissing a woman on the dance floor. Lucy runs away, embarrassed.
But there’s an erotic masseuse at the spa where Lucy is the receptionist. Brittany is flirting like crazy with Lucy, who finally works up the courage to respond. She coaxes Lucy out of her shell, but with ultimately disappointing results. And Lucy is now on the outs with Jane, usually the first one she calls with any heartache.
The film may be about a pair of friends, but watching the highly watchable Johnson grapple with uncertainty and sadness will leave you caring most about Lucy’s life. Jane’s well-laid plans for her trip to London being interrupted at the last minute feels a little false – or perhaps it just feels added in as if to say, there are problems between the two women.
In any case, it’s been a good month for female buddy comedies. While Pamela Adlon’s comedy “Babes” perfectly depicted the vulgarity inherent in childbirth, “Am I OK?” goes for a sweeter, soulful vibe. It feels good that we end up where we started — back at that table in the diner, sorting things out. The ultimate message here may be simple, but it’s comforting: friendships can change but can still adapt, cope and survive.
Even when a vegetarian burger is transformed into an omelet.
“Am I OK?”, a Warner Bros. release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association “for language, sexual references and some drug use.” Duration: 86 minutes. Two-and-a-half stars out of four.
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