Miss You, Love You is the fantastic two-hander story of Diane, a grieving widow (Allison Janney) forced to plan her husband’s funeral with Jamie, her estranged son’s assistant (Andrew Rannells). It’s written brilliantly by Jim Rash, who also directs, and is made in a fashion that almost felt like we were watching a play because of just how strong the focus is on the fascinating dynamic between the two leads.
Throughout, we only ever really see one location, Diane’s New Mexico home, and although that could have made the film feel small in scale, the performances from Janney and Rannells are so unbelievably strong that it feels hard not to be drawn into the heavy emotions felt by the two characters. The crux of their pain comes from their overwhelming emotions towards an unseen character, Tyler, Diane’s son, and both soon realise their emotions are more connected than they initially think.
As an audience, we quickly discover Tyler has sent Jamie to look after Diane in the run-up to her husband (and Tyler’s stepfather) Henry’s funeral, and it is that decision that heavily influences the characters’ experiences for the rest of the film.
Over the course of 90 minutes, we see their dynamic change and evolve in fairly real time, which soon enables us to feel intimately connected to the characters in their moments of vulnerability and connection with each other. This is only added by the film having minimal locations, allowing us to get a feel for who the characters are fairly fast. It’s such a unique level of intimacy that the emotions of the story build incredibly quickly, leaving the audience almost feeling like a third person in the room. A lot of credit for this has to go to the direction and writing by Rash.
He may be known for his role as the Dean in Community, but his experience co-writing the Academy Award-winning The Descendants in 2011 is clear throughout. This is another phenomenally written piece, which is only elevated by the strength of the performances by both Janney and Rannells. I thought both of them were sublime in their roles, but in particular felt that Janney really stood out as the wounded and often resentful Diane.
This is a film that requires patience and is easily one of the most quietly intimate films I’ve seen this year. Its strengths are found in the small shifts in how Janney and Rannells hold themselves around each other as the film progresses. Putting it simply, it is a film that reminds you what two exceptional performers can do with a single room, a sharp script, and a director who trusts them completely.
On HBO Max in the UK from the 14th August / Allison Janney, Andrew Rannells, Bonnie Hunt, Oscar Nunez / Dir: Jim Rash / The Walsh Company / 15
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