When you think of a movie about four suicidal characters who decide to make a pact not to kill themselves, you wouldn't think that it would not take itself seriously enough. Sure, "A Long Way Down" has its moments of darkness and sadness but not nearly enough to support the story at hand. There is a decent dramedy idea somewhere in this film but it isn't necessarily shown on screen. While "A Long Way Down" is breezier than you might expect, it is mostly pleasant if not forgettable. Still, knowing what it could have been disappoints.
Martin (Pierce Brosnan) wants to kill himself. He has lost his career as a talk-show host after having sex with an underage girl. He has spiraled to the point where the only thing that he believes can cure his pain is jumping off the top of a London skyscraper on New Year's Eve. As he looks down at the pavement he hopes to meet soon, a quiet woman named Maureen (Toni Collette) queues up after him to do the deed herself. Soon, they are joined by Jess (Imogen Poots), a young woman crying her massacre off over her nightclub outfit, and JJ (Aaron Paul), a pizza delivery man. All four saw this spot as the jump off to infinity. Thinking that this couldn't have been a chance encounter, the four decide that tonight isn't the night they die. They make a pact to survive until Valentine's Day and then make the decision to live or die. The group become famous when the celebrity status of Martin makes their story popular in the news. The four must deal with the celebrity and their reasons for wanting to kill themselves as they grow closer together.
From that plot description, "A Long Way Down" sounds like a depressing indie film. Oddly enough, it is much more of a goofy comedy. There is no true desperation or sadness to be had in the opening sequence when all four want to kill themselves. It has more of a "meet cute" feeling. While we don't need all four characters crying their eyes out at the beginning of a dramedy, it still seems like it should have had a little darker tone to it. The music and the way it is filmed gives it this aloof style. Maybe this is director Pascal Chaumeil's French film-making sensibilities showing. There is a way to mix humor (preferably dark humor) and a serious concept like suicide but "A Long Way Down" never hits it. It sits almost exclusively in the realm of being oblivious to the seriousness. When it does decide to dig deeper into why these characters want to kill themselves, it rings somewhat hollow for the most part.
This is primarily a four-person production and as a result it asks a lot of the characters. Most aren't written deeply enough to really make us feel for them. In order to really connect with characters or, at the very least, not want them to kill themselves, you need to have more development than you are given here. The only character who is mostly developed is Maureen (Toni Collette). Her story and reason for wanting to kill herself is the closest this film comes to hitting the intermittently-heartbreaking note that the rest of the film should have been hitting left and right. It almost would have been a better film if it had only focused on Maureen and her motives and what she learns after her "attempt". Brosnan's Sam is a caricature of a celebrity. There is no genuine emotion coming from his character. It isn't Brosnan's performance. It is the weak characterization that gives him nothing more than monologues about his embarrassment over his actions and how he desperately wishes he was still a celebrity. Poot's Jess is given very little to do except act like a watered-down "manic pixie dream girl". There is the slightest of moments given to her reason for wanting to kill herself but it is quickly ignored. Her character would have been so much better if this story had been fleshed out. The film surprisingly admits that JJ's story isn't interesting or original. His motives for attempting to kill himself are given and somehow seem the most realistic of the four.
There are laughs and a few touching moments to be had in "A Long Way Down". These mostly come from what these four do with their roles. Although we might not totally understand or fully believe their motives or the actions of these characters, we have fun watching them. It might not make sense when this group of depressed individuals decide to take an island vacation to get away from the media storm but it is fun to watch them go on the vacation. It almost makes us forget the somewhat clunky story lines and just enjoy being the presence of these actors if not necessarily these characters.
"A Long Way Down" is a pleasant enough film. It is the type of movie you stream on a whim but forget about after you are done. It seems to awkwardly request you to turn off your brain and then abruptly wants you to turn it back on. If you are able to turn off your brain, you will be charmed by the performances and some of the quirks of these characters. If you are able to turn it back on, you will be touched by Maureen's story and, to a lesser extent, JJ's. If you lock into either mode, you will be disappointed that it isn't funny enough or serious enough.
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