Here’s another cutesy-sentimental American indie about a character struggling to grow up, and drifting with no real sense of what to do in life. Adopting Audrey takes it one further, turning the quirky dial up to 11 with its story about a woman who puts herself up for adoption in her 30s. (Adult adoption is legal in the US, though not in the UK)
Audrey is played by Jena Malone with warmth and thoughtfulness; her performance the most distinctive thing about this otherwise forgettable movie. Audrey is single and often unable to pay the rent, flitting from job to job. You sense depression or loneliness creeping in, spending her evenings watching cute animal videos. One night YouTube’s algorithm pings her from puppy adoption videos to ones about human adult adoption; Audrey decides to give it a go.
After a string of failed first dates with potential parents, she meets a retired couple who might just be her forever family. This is Sunny (Emily Kuroda) and Otto (Robert Hunger-Bühler), both widowed when they met a few years ago. Otto is a cranky retired Nasa engineer, who has a terrible relationship with his own adult children. But with Audrey he opens up a little and begins to reflect on his overbearing parenting style.
What I found irritating about the film is how the characters behave in ways that bear no resemblance to the real world. Take Otto’s kids, who are mildly irked by Audrey’s arrival, but not remotely alarmed. Surely they would be straight on the phone to a lawyer t0 find out their inheritance rights? Or at the very least grilling Audrey about her intentions?
Still, there’s something so winning about Malone. Her Audrey is nice and eager-to-please as she puts up with cantankerous Otto. But Malone suggests a kind of passive-aggressive side to her gentle manner, showing us that Audrey’s style is to take the crap for so long, then walk away. Her engrossing, authentic-feeling performance is the reason to watch.
• Adopting Audrey is released on 13 March on digital platforms.
