SXSW Review: ‘Fantasy Life’ is a Smart and Entertaining Pairing of Director Matthew Shear and Amanda Peet

People have expectations of where they’re going to be at a certain point in their life, and those may always turn out how they planned. It’s possible for those who haven’t achieved their goals to make peace with that, but encountering others who remind them of their stalled status is never a good feeling. Fantasy Life meets its protagonist struggling – and barely even trying – to find purpose who essentially stumbles into a new role that many might consider far below his experience level but gives him a much-needed shot of adrenaline to actually start living his life.

Sam (Matthew Shear) is let go by his legal firm, and he goes to see his psychiatrist, Fred (Judd Hirsch), about a series of panic attacks. Fred’s wife Helen (Andrea Martin) sees him in the waiting room and, remembering him from his childhood, asks if he’s available to babysit her grandchildren. Sam soon finds himself taking care of Claire (Callie Santoro), Emma (Riley Vinson), and Zoe (Romy Fay) and forming a very close relationship with their mother Dianne (Amanda Peet), whose husband David (Alessandro Nivola) isn’t quite as fond of this adult man who’s now in his family’s life.

It’s great to see Shear pulling triple duty in his directorial debut. His screenplay is full of funny moments that take full advantage of the talented cast, and he finds a perfect role for himself as Sam. He’s someone who doesn’t seem all that present in anything he does, and he’s generally sheepish and unlikely to stand up for himself in uncomfortable situations. That makes him an easy target for the three girls he’s watching on their first night together, but he’s also a gentle presence who makes Dianne, an actress who hasn’t been able to find a role in a long time, feel seen for the first time in a while.

There are key moments in this film that show glimpses of what Sam’s larger world includes, like when he runs into an old classmate on Martha’s Vineyard who is there with her family and working a full-time corporate job, startled to learn that he’s just a babysitter. Helen also references how David used to babysit Sam when he was little, but David doesn’t remember any of that, especially since he’s too busy flying around the world to perform as a musician to take an interest in the man spending time with his children until the softspoken Sam has already gotten quite comfortable with his wife.

Shear, whose past acting credits include The Boy Downstairs (opposite Zosia Mamet, who has a small role in this film), is both pitiable and endearing, leaning a bit more towards the latter to make it easy to sympathize with him and to root for his success and happiness. It’s lovely to see Peet in this largely dramatic role that does still give her some levity but focuses much more on how she feels as if she’s been forgotten by everyone. Nivola is typically on edge and impatient, a specialty of his, and, in addition to Hirsch and Martin, it’s very worthwhile to see Bob Balaban as Dianne’s father, who does not have any affinity for Sam. The three actresses playing the children are also terrific, adding just enough chaotic personality to make them memorable and not distract from a story that’s much more about Sam finding himself through his relationship with their mother. While this film doesn’t tackle mental health in the most serious way, choosing to go with a joke at almost every turn, it can still spark important conversations brought to light through an inviting and entertaining comedy lens.

Movie Rating: 8/10