Film Review: I Used to Go Here

Originally published August 9, 2020

I Used to Go Here strikes a particular nerve. The new film by writer-director Kris Rey is about Kate (Gillian Jacobs), a first-time novelist whose novel has failed. Perhaps “failed” is putting it lightly; her novel is pulling in lower-than-expected numbers, her publisher has canceled her book tour and the New York Times has savaged her book. She’s succeeded, but not like she wanted to.

Kate’s old professor David (Jemaine Clement), provides her with a lifeline. He asks her to come back to her alma mater to do a reading of her book. Kate has nothing better to do. In addition to her professional troubles, her relationship has fallen apart and all of her friends are beginning to have kids. Kate is spinning her wheels.

When she gets to Carbondale (but Totally Not SIU), she encounters several college students living in the building she lived in during her college days. They’re in awe of her success as a published writer. Many of them have dreams that are even bigger than simply getting published, but Kate is so jaded she immediately shoots them all down. Maybe it’s out of jealousy of these spring chickens with time on their side. Maybe rage at her own failures. Jacobs’ acting was so wooden I couldn’t tell.

Jacobs isn’t alone. All of the performances are subpar. The actors seem like they aren’t even trying, and the film’s deliberately cringey script doesn’t help. There’s a way to make cringe effortless, but the film misses the mark. Rey’s script is far better at portraying millennial struggles than portraying Gen Z as people, but it still uses a hammer rather than a scalpel. One scene sees Kate meet up with an old friend named Bradley Cooper, who “just goes by Brad now.” It’s as if Rey is holding up a big flashing sign saying “THIS SCENE IS THE POINT OF THE FILM.” It doesn’t trust the audience and is worse off for it.

The film immediately presents issues. The film opens with a clear shot of Kate walking away from the Western Red Line station in Chicago. Viewers then see that her address is on Baltimore Road. There is no Baltimore Road in Chicago. There’s a Baltimore Avenue, but it’s hard to believe an engaged, 30-something writer living in the Hegwisch neighborhood on the Illinois-Indiana border. It also doesn’t come close to the actual Western Avenue.

It might seem like a tiny thing to spend 75 words on, but it sets the tone for the rest of the film. I Used to Go Here tries to reach some semblance of realism and insight, but it fails.

The film has fleeting moments of greatness; a scene where two college kids help Kate stalk her ex is legitimately funny and the film’s final ten minutes are as heartfelt as any such span. During those last ten minutes, the film finally nails the geography; six hours from Chicago to Carbondale. Those final ten minutes, however, might not worth the 80 that precede it.

Final score: 5.0/10