Observant and heartfelt, the gentle comedy Happythankyoumoreplease is certainly not the most polished film you will see this year, but it is a breath of fresh cinematic air all the same. When was the last time you saw a film populated with young people on the cusp of adulthood who traded reflexive cynicism for vulnerable transparency, who do the right thing even if it is in the wrong way and who wrestle not so much with who they are but who they want to be?

Happythankyoumoreplease involves several independent but interlocking stories that take place in New York City. Sam Wexler (Josh Radnor) is a struggling novelist (Tort: “You’re the voice of our generation.” Retort: “That’s a lot of pressure.”) who helps Rasheen (Michael Algieri), a young African American boy who gets separated from his foster family on the subway, by bringing him back to his apartment and, in every way but legally, adopting him. Their abnormal but gratifying relationship is complicated by the presence of Mississippi (Kate Mara), a cabaret singer who literally stops Sam in his tracks.

Sam’s friend Annie (Malin Akerman), who suffers from alopecia, wraps her bald head in elaborate scarves that make her look like a Hari Krishna cancer patient (or the Girl with the Pearl Earring). Her insecurity over her looks causes her to shun commitment, even when it comes in the slightly dorky but entirely adoring package of Sam No. 2 (Tony Hale). Lastly, Mary Catherine (Zoe Kazan) and Charlie (Pablo Schreiber) have been a couple for a long time, but their relationship is severely challenged when Charlie decides he wants to move to Los Angeles and Mary Catherine is set on staying in New York (their debates about the merits of each city are spot on).

Though Happythankyoumoreplease is bound to be compared to so-called slacker films like Garden State and Reality Bites, the fact remains that, in a cinematic world in love with man-children who refuse to grow up, here at least are young adults who, though they may go kicking and screaming, at least acknowledge the necessity of the transition. Sure, it may be hard to empathize with disaffected late 20-somethings in New York City—when exactly did the “early-life crisis” replace the “mid-life crisis”?—but writer/director/star Radnor (of the wonderful sitcom How I Met Your Mother) pulls it off in no small part thanks to some very clever writing. Radnor’s characters never shut up, which here at least is a very good thing.

Happythankyoumoreplease doesn’t move with any particular urgency. Radnor’s script is not remotely tight, but it is delightfully rambling, and since Radnor is a far better writer than he is a director, the droplets of profundity, flashes of brilliance and bursts of authenticity his film contains ultimately win us over. Radnor has created attractive, likable characters (oddly enough, his own is perhaps the one we care for the least), particularly Annie, the wisest of the bunch. There is a sweetness and an authenticity to each of them. When Annie instructs, “Be worthy of being loved,” they take it to heart.

Surprisingly, Happythankyoumoreplease gets better the longer it’s onscreen and absolutely nails the 9th inning. Artists have a way of pouring every best part of themselves into first projects, be they films or novels, leaving nothing for later, just in case this is their only chance at immortality. I hope that is not the case with Radnor. I’d love to see a Comfortablywiseryourewelcomesurprisinglycontent sometime in his future.

© Copyright 2011 Brandon Fibbs. All rights reserved.

Directed by Josh Radnor
Starring: Josh Radnor, Michael Algieri, Malin Akerman, Kate Mara, Tony Hale, Zoe Kazan, Pablo Schreiber
Rated R for language.
Running Time: 100 minutes