MOLLI AND MAX IN THE FUTURE (2023) review

written by: Michael Lukk Litwak
produced by: Ben J. Murphy, Candice Kuwahara, Mallory Schwartz, Michael Lukk Litwak & Kate Geller
directed by: Michael Lukk Litwak
rated: not rated
runtime: 93 min.
U.S. release date: March 11, 2023 (SXSW) and February 9, 2024

The title suggests a quirky endeavor, which is confirmed by the synopsis of “Molli and Max in the Future”.  It’s a story that takes familiar conventions of meet-cute rom-com and sets them all a billion years in the future, yet it still feels timeless. In his feature-length debut, writer/director Michael Lukk Litwak posits that the same love and dating relationship woes have existed and will continue yesterday, today, and tomorrow. It’s not a stretch to describe it as “When Harry Met Sally” meets “Tron” if Jared and Jerusha Hess and Jemaine Clement wrote it. But it also feels like an amalgam of “Spy Kids” and something written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. It sounds like a lot, perhaps because the ambitious film is attempting a lot.

Despite all the strange offerings of sci-fi oddities on display here – and there are many – the film’s strength lies in the two central performances from Zosia Mamet and Aristotle Athari as the titular duo, respectively. Both of them exude the necessary charm and enthusiasm to hold together all that is offered on an obviously limited budget.

We meet Molli (Mamet) in the future when she manages to drive her flying vehicle into Max (Athari) while pursuing glowing mega-power crystals. Max now needs a ride back to his home. She’s a neurotic space witch, and he’s a half-fish man (raised on a planet called Oceanus) geeking out over robot-fighting. That should give you an idea of what kind of story to expect here. The two hit it off, talking nonstop about their positions and attitudes on life, particularly love and sex. She shares her interest in the spirit realm and the cult leader Moebius (Okierete Onaodowan), while he shares his desire to become a mecha robot fighting champion. Their chemistry is apparent to us yet lost to them.

Five years later, they bump into each other again, albeit now in two very different stages of life. Despite changes in interests and vocations, Molli and Max continue to reconnect a handful of times in the coming years, finding each other offering unsolicited commentary on each other’s relationships. Through it all, they become something akin to best friends, so close that they can’t even acknowledge the unspoken attraction that’s apparent to anyone but them.

Right away, “Molli and Max in the Future” establishes itself as one chatty picture, with the two main characters incapable of refraining from their loquacious tendencies. Depending on the viewer, this can either be annoyingly cute or whimsically charming and may even require a certain amount of calibration. Indeed, they seem to be the only two people who can tolerate each other’s company. We know people like this, and we steer clear of them, and if we are people like this, then we likely don’t know it.  While they couldn’t be more dissimilar, that doesn’t stop them from sharing personal details and interests. They seem to be more interested in listening to each other than they are interested in each other.

Litwak offers chapters, ranging from “Five Minutes Later” to “Five Years Later”, to keep the story going at a good clip and offer different situations for these two characters to experience. These chapters primarily serve as reunions for Molli and Max, but also inject some knowing comedy ribbing. As a director, Litwak may not have the budget to be as looney as the script could potentially be, but he makes the most of it by providing a creative future environment of travel, connection, and world-building.

Some world-building veers too far away from the titular characters and, therefore, feels unnecessary.  Still, appreciation can be found in how Litwak populates the film with supporting characters instead of making this story a two-hander. Many of these supporting players show up at various time-jump reunions for Molli and Max. In the first “five years later” jump, we learn that Molli has joined a bizarre sex cult (that’s the furthest thing from “sexy”), and Max has realized his dreams of mech-fighting stardom. Molli soon realizes what so many cult followers have throughout the years: spiritual revelations are promised when sex acts are given freely by the followers. The sex cult is where Molli meets Walter (a hilarious Arturo Castro), a lobster-clawed cult member who eventually becomes her boyfriend, a source of contention added to Max’s many insecurities. We also meet Cassie (Paloma Garcia-Lee), who winds up as Max’s girlfriend, although the pair are never in synch.

Like many sci-fi tales, this future world connects to our past and present, especially regarding the political satire Litwak injects. Two characters, Rachel (Aparna Nancherla) and Turboschmuck (Michael Chernus)—that’s right, that’s his name—are running against each other in a political arena, clearly intended to represent Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and the 2016 election in the States. These particular characters walk a tightrope of heavy-handed, on-the-nose hilarity. Through it all, Latwik never holds back from the absurdities of our current world as he presents a fantasy future world that doesn’t feel implausible.

At times, too much is happening at such a breakneck speed in “Molli and Max in the Future” that it’s hard to keep track of who’s who and what’s what. But Latwik and cinematographer Zach Stoltzfus (who also serves as Visual Effects Supervisor) mostly make up for that by delivering contagious visuals that match the ridiculousness of it all. Considering Litwak’s budget, there’s an understandable reliance on practical effects and green screen work here. Just about everything we see was shot in-camera in front of virtual production in front of LED screens with digital backdrops. This is combined with three-dimensional props and puppets and clever production design work by Violet Overn, resulting in a near-vintage futuristic look. The approach is appropriate for the story and the budget since there’s a reliance on character interaction over outer space spectacle.

Ultimately, “Molli and Max in the Future” is an amusing and appealing offering from Latwik that feels as if he’s drawing from his own personal life, probably because he is. While the material is a bit thin, the visuals and the lead performances from Mamet and Athari make up for any of that. Latwik’s work here makes me curious about his next project.

RATING: **1/2