“Spinster” is an anti-romantic comedy movie starring actress and comedian Chelsea Peretti. Peretti plays Gaby, a caterer facing society’s judgement for being childless and single in her late 30’s. Jennifer Deyell wrote “Spinter,” and Andrea Dorfman directed the movie. They released “Spinster” to digital platforms on August 7.
With an authentic script, relatable relationships and the slow-developing narrative of Gaby’s life, this movie managed to encapsulate what makes a life meaningful without one-size-fits-all expectations. You can rent or buy the movie on Amazon Prime Video, iTunes or Vudu for less than $10.
The movie starts on Gaby’s 39th birthday. Her boyfriend dumps her, and she loses a customer for her catering business. Everyone she knows is either married with kids or divorced with kids, and she’s still single. Her best friend pushes her to get into the online dating game, and Gaby gives it a weak shot.
Unlike most romantic comedies, “Spinster” slowly and uneventfully fades Gaby’s dating life out. Instead, we start focusing on her relationships with family and friends. The shift is subtle, and there is no big climax. Some might find that boring in a movie, but I found it refreshing. Gaby just starts doing what makes her happy, even if that means knitting, walking her dog or just spending time with loved ones.
This movie is beautiful, and unique, in the way that it embraces the stereotype of a ‘spinster’ without making it a sad thing. You can like to do ‘lame’ things. You don’t always have to be looking for your other half. It doesn’t kill the chances of finding someone, but it shows you that you can be complete on your own.
The script is authentic in the way it shows real conversations, particularly with family. Some scenes are awkward to watch, but life is sometimes awkward to live. Gaby’s dry wit and blunt honesty offer a new take on the idea of a single, childless woman in her late 30s.
The relationships are realistic and relatable. There’s no huge monologue where someone poetically makes some deep declaration. People don’t normally do that in real life. The almost uneventful nature of the movie makes it more meaningful to me, because it just demonstrates the idea of focusing on what makes you happy. There’s no particular end game or achievement you need for your life to be meaningful, and finding happiness is a lot simpler than you think.