Not everything works, but the Deutch sisters are a delight in every scene they share, and Madelyn has an unusual screen presence and a feel for the absurd that marks this 27-year-old as a talent to watch.
The narrative sloppily whizzes through character introductions, making the sometimes-comical hodgepodge of plot points seem unmotivated and nonsensical.
For a film that marks both a screenwriting debut and a big screen directing debut, "The Year Of Spectacular Men" makes very few rookie mistakes, and the ones it does are easily outweighed by the snap of the dialogue.
Even in... spotty passages, it is the movie's saving grace that its family acting troupe faces the gobbledygook with openhearted silliness and sincerity.
The story is at its best when it zeros in on Izzy and Sabrina's relationship, and the real-life sisters manage to recreate a genuinely believably big-sis-little-sis dynamic.
Lea Thompson's theatrical directing debut works best as a showcase for daughters Madelyn and Zoey Deutch who bring a real life zing to their fictional sister act
