★★★★☆

“Growing Up and Other Lies” is not just another coming-of-age tale. Writers and directors Danny Jacobs and Darren Grodsky approach common themes like aging, friendship and change, from a very unique perspective. The resulting film features flawed characters confronting the real responsibilities of adulthood in a way that is both relatable and hilarious.

Jake (Josh Lawson) is leaving New York City to care for his sick father back home in Ohio. The struggling artist gathers his three best friends Rocks (Adam Brody), Gunderson (Wyatt Cenac) and Billy (Danny Jacobs) to recreate their greatest adventure from years ago: walking the entire length of Manhattan in one day. They all meet in Northern Manhattan and immediately fall into the casual, witty banter of old friends. As the group moves south, they make many pit stops and Jake’s friends try to convince him to stay in New York. The appearance of Jake’s ex-girlfriend Tabatha (Amber Tamblyn) further complicates the already hectic journey and Jake’s attempt at closure morphs into uncertainty about the future and his plans.

“[We] were in New York working on another script and struggling with that … and a friend of ours suggested that we play hooky one day and walk the length of Manhattan from the northern tip to the southern tip the exact route, almost that the movie ended up being,” Jacobs said in a phone conference with The Hoya.

After that adventure, he and cowriter Grodsky strove to create a film that showcased New York City and its urbanites in a thematically different way.

“It was one of those things where it was a road trip movie on foot in New York, the greatest walking city in the world, and no one had done it yet,” Grodsky said during the phone conference.

The movie, which features 57 locations throughout New York City, was shot in only 19 days. The trek through New York City showcases the beauty of the city — one worthy of a 260-block journey on foot.
The movie’s real strength is its witty and down-to-earth dialogue. With only 19 days to shoot, each take was precious time, but it is clear through the film that there was a natural chemistry among the cast. The characters are all different — a lawyer, an artist, an anarchist, a dad-to-be — and this diversity made their stories incredible relatable and their interactions funny, yet realistic.

Writer and director Jacobs also starred in the film, which he said allowed him to direct from both within the scene and behind the camera. The inspiration for the four main characters came from the directing duo’s friends or aspects of their friends’ personalities, but Danny alone inspired the character of Billy.
When asked about his reasons for taking on an acting role in “Growing Up and Other Lies,” Jacobs joked, “I need attention, I need so much attention to validate so many insecurities I have.”

Despite his jest, insecurity is a theme that is prevalent throughout the film. Jacobs and Grodsky wrote an excellent script that showcases four very different characters, each with their own complexes and insecurities, and as a result there is something in this movie for everyone.
From churches to abandoned buildings, this movie features beautiful cinematography and through its various of settings.

“We wanted a look that made it feel classic instead of a certain urban grittiness that has I think become commonplace in a lot of films like these,” Jacobs said.

As for Jacobs and Grodsky, they are on to their next project. They try to focus on the act of creation, and once they finish a project they quickly search for a new one to throw themselves into.

“I had this moment in my head, when you premier [a movie] and everyone loves you,” Grodsky recalled after finishing his first film. “It was actually a miserable experience watching the movie with everyone, just seeing the flaws and the things that I didn’t like about it, wondering if they were enjoying it.”

This realization led the two to embrace the process rather than focus on the results. Jacobs said that when their films show at film festivals, there are invariably good as well as bad results.
“Reviews, audience reactions, how much money it makes, those are all things that are out of our control and, ironically, aren’t really connected to the quality of the film,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs and Grodowsky met when they were six years old in a Hebrew class. The two share a long history, both collaborative and personal, which helps make their partnership and the works they produce successful.

“Knowing each other that long means collaboratively, we work in a pretty smooth way. We argue without ego,” said Jacobs.

The film incorporates both emotional tear-jerking music and upbeat fun-loving songs interspersed throughout the journey, which set this movie apart from seemingly similar counterparts in its genre. The striking cinematography and music combined with believable acting and a strong script make this feel-good movie worth seeing.