'Togetherness' series premiere review: 'Family Day'

Best known together for their work writing and directing Baghead, Cyrus and Jeff Who Lives At Home, Jay and Mark Duplass have become a defining fixture within the indie mumblecore genre, beginning with their first film together, The Puffy Chair. So what makes their latest project, HBO's latest R-rated sitcom Togetherness, so interesting is how different it is from their improvised origins.

Oh don't worry, the aesthetics of the Duplass work are all here. Togetherness — centered on Brett (Mark Duplass) and Michelle (Melanie Lynskey) Pierson, a struggling married couple trying to work through their relationship while also caring for their kids and Brett's friend Alex (Steve Zissis) and Michelle's older sister Tina (Amanda Peet), who all live together in the same house — is the same kind of breezy, enjoyably down-to-earth project which appeals itself to all of the filmmakers' best qualities. But gone is their loosey-goosey screenwriting and all the shaky camera movements and zoom in-and-outs. They have decided to remove themselves from one genre (mockumentary) and go towards another (sitcom), and it has its advantages and disadvantages, as one would expect.

The new series, created by the Duplass and Zissis, earns more comparisons to Girls, the show airing before it, than it does to, say, Mark Duplass' other series The League. Every camera movement is static and more meticulously placed. Every line — as far as one can tell — was written and rehearsed, as penned by the Duplass. Every actor feels more guided and controlled than any other Duplass production. And this all, naturally, gives Togetherness a feeling and look unlike any other from the filmmakers.

But still grounded deep within this sitcom's DNA is its laid-back, realistic character interactions. In many ways, Togetherness may be the filmmakers' most personal collaboration. It's a combination of both their struggles in balancing their careers and families and also their growing acceptance into middle-aged living. Mark's Brett is not unlike some characters he has played of late, most notably his starring turn in last year's The One I Love, caring that character's look right down to his glasses, but it all works. It's all thanks to his eased charmisa as well as his good natured dynamic with Lynskey. An actress who also gives another nicely thoughtful and subdued lead performance here, something she's been dominating of late within the indie scene.

The stand-outs of this pilot, however, remain Zissis and Peet in their supporting roles, if for different reasons. Peet, an actress who for the past couple years has had trouble demonstrating her presence in Hollywood, is giving her most complex and soulful character in years. She chews up the scenery a little too much from time-to-time, but it's clear she is giving it her all her and will likely deliver some great things to come.

Zissis, meanwhile, is easily not only Togetherness funniest character, but its most earnest and (possibly) relatable. It's easy for these kind of actors-who-can't-make-it-in-Hollywood characters to fall through. Just look how poorly things turned out for both Zach Braff and Clark Gregg in their starring/writing/directing roles in Wish I Was Here and Trust Me (which Peet also starred in) this year, respectively. But there's something so sincere and likable in his self-efficencing character, even if he is something of a man child.

In its pilot, Togetherness is already falling victim to some overused cliches and narratives. These kind of things are common for pilots and first seasons, but can easily be slippery slopes in episodes to come. Togetherness, with just its first episode, is already proving itself as smarter and more observant than its peer struggling parents series. So it's likely there's some tricks up its sleeves; one would figure there have to be, if it made its way onto HBO. It's too early to tell now just where it will fall in this regard, but its easy to have faith in this series' direction. Hopefully one will not be proven wrong.

Togetherness, in due time, could become the Duplass' most mature and accomplished work to date. As this is just a pilot, and a mere taste of this fly-on-the-wall type dramedy, it's too earlier to be hasty on this kind of series. But the Duplass have had no problems proving themselves before, and its more than likely they are going to craft one uniquely compelling character-driven, heartfelt sitcom for the new-age middle-class, middle-aged American family.

Image courtesy of INFphoto.com