Wanderlust (2018)

Love is a journey, and if we’re lucky, it’s a long one. But Wanderlust--led by Toni Collette--offers a fascinating exploration of the twists and turns along the way.

Captivatingly mature talk. [19/26 Oct 2018, p.89]

Writer Payne and director Snellin keep the story intimate (even when one big early twist seems more convenience than coincidence), managing a series of creative choices that bring enlightenment and surprise to a well-worn concept as each episode unfolds.

Collette happens to be excellent, but to enjoy her performance in full, you must accept without judgment that her character, whose true struggle is to confront grief, is named Joy. The actual writing is rarely so unsubtle, except when Payne yields the floor to earnest speechifying about carnal needs and emotional desires.

The show’s earnest approach to relationships and sex--there’s no shying away from the awkwardness of any of it--is appealing enough to counteract the way the plot falls into a much more typical (and disappointing) pattern.

The performances and Payne’s skill with dialogue have their rewards, though they’re attenuated--Payne doesn’t have the conviction of a true schlockmeister, and he doesn’t deliver the boffo laughs and tears of a Curtis film.

It’s not clear how much has changed--only that they’re less desirable than they imagine, and that their situation is less complicated than they think. After so much drama, the series arrives at the underwhelming conclusion that the grass only seems greener on the other side.