Greta Gerwig continues her effective one-woman crusade to make slutty girls respectable. Sadly, “Lola Versus” is an ill-conceived romantic comedy that flirts too closely with the widely reviled and obsolete Mumblecore genre. Director/co-writer Daryl Wein oversees the fallout from 29-year-old Lola’s (Gerwig) failed attempt to get married — her wishy-washy betrothed Luke (Joel Kinnaman) cuts bait and runs just before the big day arrives. New York habitué Lola stays busy working on her Ph.D dissertation when she isn’t hanging out with her metrosexual-of-questionable-intent-best-friend Henry (Hamish Linklater). A not-so-cute meet at a bakery throws Lola in bed with a cringe-inducing prison architect whose large endowment below the waist belies his icky girlie qualities. His time spent as an “incubator baby” had dynamic results for his member if not his personality or looks. Stuck Lola can’t resist going back for some make-up sex with Luke. If these kinds of plot details sound like cartoonish incidentals, that’s certainly how they come across in the movie. “Lola Versus” feels more like a crummy TV sit-com pilot than an actual feature film.
Rated R. 89 mins. (C-) (Two Stars - out of five/no halves)
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