Miss You, Love You

Not only is it one of the best films I’ve seen in a long time, but its every barb, every declaration, every insult changes dramatically once you and its characters know everything they fought and failed to conceal. It’s a film that changes every time you, the viewer, lose the chance to be fully present for someone you love.

Its scope might be small but I found its emotional impact to be surprisingly big.

A virtual two-hander, Miss You, Love You is a rare accomplishment—just enough of a good thing.

It has the feel of a filmed play—transparently intended to land Allison Janney a 16th Emmy nomination and potentially an eighth win.

The more standard it feels, the harder it becomes to be swept up in the narrative swells, and the film's reach eventually exceeds its grasp. But even if it isn't shattering, Miss You, Love You still entertains.

Allison Janney and Andrew Rannells share prickly laughs in this way-too-talky HBO dramedy, but it’s their emotional connection as two grieving strangers that sneaks up and gets you.

Janney veers from fury to reflection to tearfulness so vigorously it’s as if she knows that heavy lifting is required to take this story off the page.