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In Search of a Midnight Kiss

(Paradox) Directed by Alex Holdridge

by Lindsay McCarney

"Just answer me this one question: Did you or did you not trim your pubic hair before we met?" lonely screenwriter Wilson (Scoot McNairy) asks Vivian (Sara Simmonds), the New Year's Eve date he's just met through Craigslist, in indie rom-com In Search of a Midnight Kiss. When Vivian feigns indignation, Wilson presses the point---and employs the equally charming phrase "prep before we met." (She happens to "trim regularly" and likes "to keep well groomed.") I think we're supposed to find the entire exchange hilarious and audacious. It's neither. The film (mostly set during the pair's date) features more off-the-mark humour---Wilson's mom's (Twink Caplan) over-the-phone revelation that she's getting a boob job and Wilson's annoying friend's ramblings about condom etiquette. Which is too bad: ISOAMK is often subtle and charming, particularly in its sassy, dialogue-free final third---the moment when termite-company owner Stevie (another Craigslister), realizes the blonde he's been chatting up is sharing her New Year's kiss with someone else is a particular heartbreaker. It's unfortunate that writer/director Alex Holdridge felt the need to ruin his otherwise enjoyable movie by filling it with dialogue that seems like it was found in Kevin Smith's trash bin.