This doctor doesn\u2019t bat an eye when Sam tells him he thinks that a particular moment of anxiety was caused by his \u201cinternalized antisemitism<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n In this cinematic universe that Shear has created, it makes perfect sense that his doctor would hire him to work as a babysitter for his three precious granddaughters.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Once he takes the job, Sam\u2019s neurotic ruminations are interrupted by a fascination with the family of the children he is caring for.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n Shear is very good at depicting the strange intimacy that can develop in work situations like this, where a babysitter is almost, but not quite, part of the family.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n He also convincingly depicts how overwhelming it can be for a guy like Sam, who is no longer so young yet can barely pay his rent, to be in the orbit of people who seem to have everything.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n Sam\u2019s shrink\u2019s son, David (Alessandro Nivola), is a successful musician who travels the globe, but is so down-to-earth and charming that even if you\u2019d like to hate him, you can\u2019t.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n David is married to Dianne (Amanda Peet, best known for The Whole Nine Yards, Something\u2019s Gotta Give, and Please Give), an actress struggling with depression who once had a promising career but who hasn\u2019t worked in 10 years.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Dianne is independently wealthy as well and is taking as many medications as Sam. Like her husband, Dianne seems to have it all, and as Sam gets to know her, there is instant and very inconvenient chemistry between them.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n It might seem like this is a setup for a typical rom-com, and it could have been, but it doesn\u2019t develop in the predictable rom-com way.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Sam and Dianne open up to each other about their anxieties and are suddenly emotionally intimate with each other, which is strange for both of them, because they aren\u2019t used to being honest with anyone except the therapists they pay.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Peet, who is extremely beautiful but is also a born comedian, has been candid in interviews promoting the film about the fact that she, like Dianne, has not had the career she thought she would when she first started in movies a couple of decades ago.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Her character could so easily be seen as an entitled diva, but Peet does a beautiful job getting us to understand and identify with this woman who has had so much handed to her but can\u2019t seem to figure out how to enjoy it.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n As Sam tries to pull himself together and figure out what he wants from his connection with Dianne, the movie moves back and forth between an upper-class Brooklyn neighborhood and Martha\u2019s Vineyard.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Viewers get to enjoy the homes and the scenery as much as Sam, while sharing his feelings of not really belonging in any of them.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n In addition to Shear, Peet, and Hirsch, Fantasy Life features a great supporting cast, including Zosia Mamet (Girls), Andrea Martin (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Holland Taylor (Two and a Half Men), and Bob Balaban (Seinfeld, Capote).<\/p>\n<\/section>\n The film won the Audience Award and the Special Jury Award for Performance for Amanda Peet at the SXSW Film & TV Festival and the Best Ensemble Cast award at the San Diego International Film Festival<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Fantasy Life is a promising debut for Shear, and a perfect movie for anyone who wants to forget real-world problems by spending a couple of hours with some neurotic but very appealing New Yorkers.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\nA perfect movie for anyone who wants to forget real-world problems<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Her character could so easily be seen as an entitled diva<\/strong><\/h3>\n