Lola Versus

Greta Gerwig has been struck in the indie film world for far too long, from her debut in Hannah Takes the Stairs back in 2007 to Damsels in Distress in 2011. She’s had a few bit parts in a few big – or bigger -- budget films, like Woody Allen’s To Rome With Love, but she’s usually reduced to poorly written quirky girlfriend parts that don’t give her room to do much but support the guy she’s paired off with. Lola Versus, directed by Daryl Wein, should change that. It’s still an indie film, but it plays better than most of the crappy romantic movies Hollywood has churned out in the past decade, and it’s mostly because of Gerwig’s performance. She’s still charming and quirky, but those are no longer the defining characteristics of her character. As Lola, she plays a fully developed character trying to define who she is after her fiancé dumps her unexpectedly in the middle of making wedding plans. Gerwig plays well with the others in the movie, especially the very funny Zoe Lister Jones as her sidekick Alice, but it’s the moments we share alone with Lola that make the movie work.