Life is full of enough drama, and we often tend to focus on that more than seeing the brighter side. In the case of a dramedy, we often overlook our own capacity to laugh at some of the absurdities that paint much of the drama of our lives. The lack of subtlety a film like Don't Say It embodies, is in this very idea as it tackles themes like love, regret, and the value of one's life in the face of thinking that our best years are behind us even though we got plenty of leftover breaths.
Director Stephen Ward's directorial debut Don't Say It centers on two principle characters; Lara Doyle, a diner waitress and Pat Leone, a restaurateur. Both characters are frustrated with their lives, and the film does a killer job of showcasing this without bordering on anything depressing or anything of the melodramatic breed because although the problems these characters have, with Lara being frustrated working as a waitress, or Pat being a failed restauranteur, the story manages to add an easy-going slice of life comedy essence to the tale of two souls who are wounded, but not figuratively bleeding out like a lot of romance dramas would happily exploit in the deluded belief that audiences can't handle a more relaxed if not more tender approach to a love story where the two lovers take a chance, but still manage to embrace the more humorous moments within their lives. That's what the impeccable writing by Rich Grosso, P.J. Marino and Jessica Abrams highlights, in what is -without question- a film reminiscent of embodying the works of comedy gurus like Louis C.K.'s (Louie) or any of the easy going New York comedies that paint Woody Allen as a great comedian as well as a great dramatist.
Don't Say It has a lot to say about how we go about life. Even with the weight of our past being overwhelming, our willingness to still take chances and have a good laugh about it is helps us look on the bright side rather than staying down in the dumps.
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