Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4280 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-01-30
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Synopsis
Performance artist Miranda July's debut feature film, ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW, is a charming, quirky romantic comedy that is entertaining from start to finish. Writer-director July stars as Christine, an offbeat performance artist who becomes instantly smitten with Richard (John Hawkes), a brooding department-store shoe salesman who is having trouble dealing with his divorce and his separation from his two kids the shy, private Peter (Miles Thompson) and the very funny Robby (Brandon Ratcliff). Christine is trying to get her latest work accepted at a major museum, but first she has to get through mean-spirited Nancy (Tracy Wright), who is not necessarily very interested in her submission. Meanwhile, Natasha Slayton and Najarra Townsend are a riot as a pair of teenagers who think they're ready for sex as they tease neighbourhood pervert Andrew (Brad Henke) and consider experimenting with Peter. Amid all the tender, comedic, well-acted, and well-written scenes, Ratcliff nearly steals the film as Robby gets involved in a dirty, hysterical online chat with a mystery person. July's marvellous, surprising movie won the Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival in addition to well-deserved prizes at the Philadelphia and San Francisco International Film Festivals.

Customer Reviews

"Pooping back and forth forever"
Suburban shoe salesman shoe salesman Richard (John Hawkes) is having a bad day. When he finds out that his wife is leaving him he reacts by setting his own hand on fire. Meanwhile, eccentric video artist Christine (Miranda July) makes ends meet as a taxi driver for the elderly whilst unsuccessfully trying to get her work exhibited in a cynical, unwelcoming art world.

Accompanying one of her regular clients on a shoe-purchasing expedition, Christine begins a reluctant courtship with the emotionally burned Richard, who believes the right pair of shoes can change a person's life, but who hasn't quite figured out how to be a responsible father to his two young sons. Christine and Richard have obviously formed some kind of connection, but both are so dysfunctionally shy, that a substantial connection seems unlikely.

Richard's 7-year-old Robby (Brandon Ratcliff) loves playing on his computer and enters into an Internet flirtation with a mysterious older woman, seducing her with his infantile obsession with poop. His 14-year-old Peter (Miles Thompson) finds himself on the receiving end of a challenge between two precocious girls (Natasha Slayton, Najarra Townsend) who wish to know which one of them gives better oral satisfaction.

And lets not forget the 12-year-old neighbor girl (Carlie Westerman) obsessed with acquiring first-class consumer items for her hope chest. She likes to parade her purchases for all to see, especially for Peter with whom she has a bit of a crush on.

Peppered with bizarre characters and oddball scenarios, You and Me and Everyone I Know is like nothing you've ever seen before. Written and Directed by the talented Miranda July, the film cleverly skewers the world of installation art, weaving elements of the romantic comedy into story that is really about the need to connect in the modern world.

All these very different stories magically interlock and play out in a style that is quirky and unpredictable. In this film everyone is searching, where children long to become adults, adults yearn to recapture the innocence of youth, and everyone has difficulty finding true love at age 7 or 70. For a lot of viewers it may take a while to fully rise to July's wavelength and comprehend her offbeat sense of humour. But July stages and edits her work as if in time to an inner beat, ticking away in unpredictable fits and starts, so it's almost impossible not the get caught up in the film's sustained whimsy.

But it is July herself that anchors this film. She's such an appealing leading lady and a totally winning screen presence with her mop of curly hair and her wide inquisitive eyes. Obviously eccentric but also quite sensitive, the actress is totally in tune to the celestial coincidences that unite her characters, able to capture those small and indefinable moments of human experience. Mike Leonard January 06.

Unusual and surprising
Excellent central performances and a low key storyline combined with beautiful photography make this a truly enjoyable film. If you're scared of the notion that children might ever use the internet or think about sex, of course, stay away. But then, if you're that narrow minded you're probably not interested in Indie films anyway. Miranda July's love interest with his indie beard and shoe salesman suit is mesmerising, the child actors are completely without Hollywood sheen- they're great, and the rest of the cast are fabulous too. This is just a lovely film. Make sure you don't miss it.

I want you to die knowing you were loved
Sometimes the most we can hope for is someone to love, cherish, and to know that we are loved in return.

Performance artist/writer/director/actress Miranda July made an instant name for herself with "Me And You And Everyone We Know." This writing/directorial debut is full of characters who seem startlingly realistic, but in a way that makes the world seem just a little kinder than it was before.

Christine (July) is a shy performance artist who works as an senior-cab driver. Richard (John Hawkes) is a lonely shoe salesman who has just been dumped by his wife, and is bewildered by his loneliness. His younger son is having a cyberaffair with a fortysomething woman, and his elder son is getting a bit too close with the local girls.

A chance encounter in a store, and on the street, brings Richard and Christine together for a few minutes, and convinces Christine that they may have a future together. The two dance awkwardly around each other -- Christine wants to be with Richard, but Richard's divorce wounds are still too fresh. Will these awkward soulmates connect at last?

Early in the movie, Richard announces that, "I want to be swept off my feet, you know? I am prepared for amazing things to happen. I can handle it!" Well, he gets an amazing thing: Christine. "Me and You..." doesn't have Hollywood-pretty actors having Big Dramatic Moments. Instead, the beauty of this quirky love story is that it could happen to any of us -- a chance encounter bringing us together with a true soulmate.

The simple plot moves with surprising speed, as the characters learn to pursue their happiness. July fills it with delicate, moving scenes, such as a scene where Christine and her friend Michael try to save a goldfish on a moving car. When the bag falls, your heart will break.

But "Me and You..." is also incredibly funny. The movie is full of cheerful seniors, funny art videos, and even a little girl who is stocking up appliances and towels so she can be a good housewife. The cyberaffair and teen sex play would seem creepy in most movies, but to July's credit, she manages to make it seem strangely innocent.

And as Christine, July is a lovable character. She has boundless love, energy and friendship, but until she meets Richard, she has no one to give it to. Hawkes gives an excellent performance opposite her. He seems kind of weird at first, until we realize that Richard is still in shock from the divorce.

"Me and You And Everyone We Know" was one of the most beautiful, heartfelt movies to come out in 2005, and will leave you with a feeling that the world might be kind after all. A magical, funny, bittersweet experience.