Ethan Hawke has been at the center of many acclaimed films over the decades, from 1990s favorites like "Reality Bites" and "Training Day" to his career-defining work with director Richard Linklater (the "Before Sunrise" trilogy, "Boyhood"), to his sinister turns in titles like "First Reformed" and the "Black Phone" franchise.
And this year, the four-time Oscar nominee (he received Best Supporting Actor nods for "Training Day" and "Boyhood," as well as Best Adapted Screenplay kudos for co-writing "Before Sunset" and "Before Midnight") is back in the awards conversation for his latest Linklater collaboration, his transformative performance as famed American lyricist Lorenz Hart in "Blue Moon."
With Hawke being deservedly buzzed about this season for a Best Actor trophy, let's take it back to one of the actor's most delightfully underrated projects, the 2015 romantic comedy "Maggie's Plan," which sees him play a hilariously self-centered academic who catches the eye of Greta Gerwig's title character. The Rebecca Miller-directed comedy is streaming on Hulu right now. Here's why you should tune in.
What is 'Maggie's Plan' about?
New York singleton Maggie Hardin (Greta Gerwig) is set on having a baby on her own via sperm donation from her old college buddy Guy (Travis Fimmel). However, those life plans are upended when she meets and falls for John Harding (Hawke), a "ficto-critical anthropologist" slash struggling author who is already married to Georgette Nørgaard, an intimidatingly chic Danish professor played by Julianne Moore.
However, when John ends up leaving Georgette for Maggie, and the new couple marries and welcome a daughter years later, Maggie comes to the awful realization that John and his ex are far better suited and sets off on a scheme to orchestrate their romantic reunion.
"With a Greek chorus of Maggie's eccentric and hilarious best friends Tony and Felicia (played by Bill Hader and Maya Rudolph) observing wryly from the sidelines, Maggie sets into motion a new plan that catapults her into a nervy love triangle with John and Georgette, intertwining their lives and connecting them in surprising and humorous new ways," reads the film's official synopsis, per Sony Pictures Classics.
Why you should you stream 'Maggie's Plan' on Hulu
Written and directed by Rebecca Miller ("She Came to Me," "The Ballad of Jack and Rose"), "Maggie's Plan" is a sweet but sophisticated indie romance with screwball humor and an offbeat edge thanks to its winning performances by Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawke and Julianne Moore. Calling Gerwig's lead work as "typically absorbing," the critics consensus over on Rotten Tomatoes — where the dramedy has a solid 86% approval rating — praised the movie for giving "rom-com sensibilities a smart, subversive twist."
Much of the satirical fun is found in the pairing of Hawke — oozing equal parts natural charm and inherent douchiness in his caricature of a self-absorbed male writer — and Moore, as the equally egomaniacal Georgette, sporting a terrifically funny Scandinavian accent that earns laughs every time she opens her mouth.
Watch "Maggie's Plan" on Hulu now
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