Directed by Lina Roessler
Starring Michael Caine, Aubrey Plaza, Ellen Wong and Scott Speedman

Disappointingly and despite the appealing names in the lead cast, Best Sellers doesn’t need to be bookmarked to your must-watch. 

 Lucy (Aubrey Plaza) has inherited her father’s publishing house but is struggling to keep it afloat and faces having to sell it unless she can somehow get her hands on the next best-selling novel. She and her assistant, Rachel (Ellen Wong) discover the company is owed a book by Harris Shaw (Michael Caine); a reclusive, cantankerous and alcoholic author the world has forgotten about. He wrote just one novel 50 years ago, which was edited and published by Lucy’s father. In a desperate attempt to save the boutique publishing house, Lucy convinces Harris to finalise his book, The Future is X-rated, and to accompany her on a book tour.

The ironic thing about Best Sellers is to be watching a film with characters who are editors that have license to rewrite an author’s book while having the recurring thought the film’s script is need of a rewrite itself! 

I’d begin with the characterisation of the two leads: Lucy and Harris. For far too long, they are one-dimensionally conceived and portrayed. Lucy isn’t the easiest of characters to gel with, but it was possible to care more for her cause than the writing allows. Harris, on the other hand, is expectedly extremely unpleasant company. Nevertheless, you wouldn’t put it past the cinema great Michael Caine is to bring something crafty to the curmudgeon that lets you do something more than just tolerate the character. Not in this case I’m afraid, but it’s to no fault of the actor. In another bizarre bungle by first-time feature film writer Anthony Grieco, Best Sellers’ most agreeable character, Rachel, is assigned to cat-sitting duties for Harris while he tours with Lucy and consequently has only a minor part in the film. There’s no doubt in my mind the creation of and interactions between these characters are a major part of the reason Best Sellers never really writes the comedic drama chapters it’s aiming to pen. The same can be said of the story too. A lot of attention is devoted to a central plot that barely engages and its sub-plotting is thin as paper and equally uninteresting. Being somewhat picky now, the script is a little repetitive; if I had to hear the word “Bullshite” muttered one more time, I would be labelling the film bullshite in my review! 

One of the opportunities present in the film that is missing here is to use the city locations Lucy and Harris travel to immerse audience into their adventure. The fact Best Sellers is filmed entirely in Montréal, Canada does limit its ability to do this. If it wanted to raise its dramatic stocks and resonate more with audiences, the writing could easily have used Lucy’s time and experiences with Harris to forge a meaningful connection with another character to appear later in the film. 

Best Sellers is showing in selected cinemas across Australia from November 25th.

Moviedoc thanks Rialto Distribution and Ned & Co for the screener link to watch and review this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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