Movie Review - Stone Fruit

There have been many films about married couples getting a divorce. Some Oscar-nominated titles include Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), A Separation (2011) and Marriage Story (2019). Often, these films are very contentious and the couples in some way hate each other or can't stand one another. Obviously, there are amicable divorces where the couple comes to a mutual understanding that they shouldn't be married any more and there isn't that much contention. There are obviously films where divorced couples are still friends for whatever reason. To go along with this, there is a divorce ceremony where a church or some religious institution will orchestrate an exchange of forgiveness and acceptance of the end of the marriage. Sometimes a party will accompany these ceremonies. Sometimes, people will have the party without the church or religious institution. Sometimes, one of the spouses will have this party with just his or her friends. Sometimes, the married couple will co-host a divorce party together.

In 2004, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage. That same year, same-sex marriage became a huge issue in the 2004 Presidential campaign that saw George W. Bush get reelected. In the wake of that, we saw several films tackle the issue or depict same-sex marriages occurring like I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007), Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom (2008) and The Kids Are All Right (2010). It wasn't until June 2015 that same-sex marriage became legal in the entire United States. Since then, we haven't seen too many films, even in independent cinema, about or involving same-sex marriage. The only one that comes to mind is Do You Take This Man (2017). It seems too early that we should now get a film about same-sex divorce, but, as TV shows and some comedians have said, gay people fighting for the right to marry would mean that inevitably they would have to deal with divorce. Thus, this film is born.

Rob Warner (Breaking Fast and Ranchlands) stars as Russ, a gay man, possibly in his 30's in California, most likely Los Angeles. He works in human resources. He's married to a younger man. At the beginning of the film, Russ is preparing for a road trip to Paso Robles, which is about three hours north of Los Angeles. Paso Robles is in wine country and Russ' trip is a tour of vineyards, doing wine tasting. Russ seems to pattern himself an arm chair sommelier or rather his husband patterns Russ as an arm chair sommelier. Russ' husband might in fact see Russ as a bit of a snob.

Russ' trip to Paso Robles isn't just a random vacation for him and his husband. It's a trip to celebrate in a sense the fact that Russ and his husband are getting a divorce. The trip is a divorce weekend, or a way for them to conclude their marriage on a positive note and presumably with happy memories. Directed by Brandon Krajewski and co-written by Krajewski and Robert Andrew Perez, this film is basically a way for Russ and his husband to deconstruct their relationship and go through what it was that caused them to break up.

Matt Palazzolo (Real Heroes and You Should Meet My Son!) co-stars as Manny, the aforementioned husband to Russ. Manny and Russ have been married for five years. Yet, unlike Russ, Manny is an artist. He teaches art workshops, but, in his heart of hearts, he's a creative, working in the area of sculpture and ceramics. In fact, the key to his divorce is centered on Manny's pursuit of his art and his career. Manny is also Latino and some interracial issues due arise between him and Russ.

This film is great and is so in large part due to the great screenplay by Krajewski and Perez. I would argue the script is on par with the writing of Richard Linklater's Oscar-nominated Before Sunset (2004). There's a lot of snappy dialogue that is interesting, entertaining and insightful. If you like films, such as Marriage Story and Sideways (2004), this film is like a combination of those two incredible titles. Krajewski and Perez's script is also on par with the writing of those aforementioned films. Sideways won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Alexander Payne and Marriage Story was nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Noah Baumbach. Again, this script is just as good as Payne and Baumbach's work. Only, it involves all homosexual characters, which provides a refreshing spin.

The writing is great, but it's buttressed by great performances. Both Warner and Palazzolo are really strong together. Palazzolo is probably the standout. There is a moment toward the end that is particularly strong and like a gut-punch when Manny describes basically his horror and frustration. Palazzolo tragically died in real-life in a hiking accident, which makes this film his final performance. It's ironic because you see him hiking in this film through wine country. It's a shame because Palazzolo clearly had a lot of talent.

Thomas Hobson (Poz Roz and The Chadwick Journals) rounds out the cast as Byron, a Black man who works in radiology in the medical industry. He's friends with both Russ and Manny, but probably more so with Manny. It's stated that Byron has had a threesome with both Russ and Manny, as he believes in open relationships. He's hoping to get lucky with the two of them again. The only issue is that he doesn't know it's their divorce weekend. He held them up as the perfect gay couple, which might be how some would see Russ and Manny on the outside looking in.

Not Rated but for mature audiences.

Running Time: 1 hr. and 35 mins.

Available on Dekkoo.