Lola Versus herself

In theaters Friday: Alex Cross, Paranormal Activity 4
New on Blu-ray/DVD: Madagascar 3, Moonrise Kingdom

Greta Gerwig may be more typecast than even Jason Statham. She’s certainly branded and sold as plainly and consistently as the perennial, iron-jawed action star. Indeed the actress is very good at appearing uncomfortable but never overly awkward, cute but never downright beautiful, relatable but never routine. Gerwig burst onto director Joe Swanberg’s mumblecore scene six years ago as his singular muse in LOL and Hannah Takes the Stairs and hasn’t turned her barretted, quirky head back since.

After scene-stealing turns in Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg—the pair has reteamed for the upcoming Frances Ha—and mainstream comedy No Strings Attached, her latest lead role is in the hipster-certified Kinks-reference-approved Lola Versus. As the titular 29-year-old, Gerwig gets dumped mere weeks before her wedding and on the cusp of pitching her dissertation thesis—shhh, it’s about silence—sending her on a spiral of bad decisions and neurotic escapades.

Will she give her ex-fiance a second chance when he inevitably and nervously comes crawling back? Will any of a string of first dates pan out?

Predictably, Lola is one of those “I need to work on me” movies that can easily grow aimless without a strong sense of purpose or personality. It won’t be for everyone, but fans of this genre may find two things that make it a marginal success. First, there are enough humorous asides and, almost Seinfeld-esque observations about modern life, to elevate the paper-thin narrative. Second, Gerwig carries the film, and train-wreck or not, she is charismatic and empathetic throughout. Maybe this is because her only gal pal, played by the film’s co-writer and fellow mumblecore veteran Zoe Lister Jones, is so incredibly cloying, like a yapping Yorkie you just don’t have the heart to kick off the couch.

In the end, Lola should be commended for being that rare romantic comedy that eschews any form of Hollywood ending. The problem is that the film simply abandons Hollywood clichés for indie ones. It’s not that a “me time” movie is a bad idea, it’s just that, even when one decides to improve the ole self, it still takes other people to help make that happen. Lola flat-out misses that. Perhaps Gerwig is missing that, too. She needs a new crowd and new inspirations. She has promise, but if she keeps this up she may feel just as adrift as Lola. After all, she’s acting in an echo chamber.