Parachute - flawed characters in an enjoyable movie

February 7, 2025

Rating: 3/5

The 2023 movie Parachute is a story of flawed people trying find their way, each other, and themselves in a chaotic world partly of their own making.

The main character is Riley (played by Courtney Eaton) who's just been released from a rehab facility. While celebrating her release at a karaoke bar she bumps into Ethan (Thomas Mann). What seems to be headed towards a casual hookup turns into a brutal friend zoning that Ethan sticks around for in a seemingly stereotypical "nice guy" effort to win her over.

But as the viewer finds out there is more to them and their relationship.

I do like - really like - that the movie is focused on Riley and Ethan's relationship. The tension in their relationship - teetering on the border between friendship and romance - stems primarily from Riley's self-esteem issues and is further, but more subtly, inflamed by Ethan's own smaller yet persistent issues.

Parachute is written by Brittany Snow and Becca Gleason, and is Snow's directorial debut. Snow's career is one of mostly acting while Gleason's has been in various roles behind the camera (this all according to IMDB.com, it could be completely wrong for all I know).

Snow uses a handful of visual tricks to tell the story, including flashbacks, still-photo montage scenes, rapid cuts, and a therapist who coaxes plot points out of Riley. I don't love these mechanisms, but I am especially ok with the montages if they were for reasons of budget and time constraints.

More importantly, Snow does a good job of bringing all the pieces together to show what Riley is going through and just how debilitating and humiliating her mental or emotional challenges are. Also, there's Chekhov's lightbulb. Nice touch.

According to Wikipedia, Snow did a bit of modelling at a very young age before sliding into acting. Eaton was also a model before becoming an actress. I suppose some of the storylines and portrayals may have been informed by their experiences. It doesn't seem outside the realm of plausible possibility that models and actresses at times can feel pressure to lose a pound or ten as they compete for shoots and roles.

The movie's cast is your standard post-2020 made-for-awards-eligibility. It's not bad, but Gina Rodriguez doesn't quite sell it as a therapist and Joel McHale has a bit of a not quite hidden smirk as if he is not truly buying into his role as Ethan's dad.

On the other hand Francesca Reale, Kid Cudi, and Celeste Oliva turn in solid performances as Casey's friend, Ethan's roommate, and Riley's mom, respectively. Dave Bautista wisely goes for a lowkey portrayal of a dinner-theater owner beleaguered by artistic and financial pressures.

Mann looks like someone I've seen in other movies but based on his filmography, I have not (other than maybe Hansel & Gretel, but that movie I may have wiped from my memory). Maybe I conflate him with a young Jeff Bridges. At any rate, he does a great job playing Ethan, hurt by Riley's rejection but stoically putting up a strong facade as he persists in pursuing her.

I am similarly unfamiliar with Eaton's body of work, but in Parachute she does a solid job selling a self-loathing partly rooted in body perception issues and resulting disordered eating habits.

This is not a must-watch movie but it is unlikely to disappoint.