A charming indie romantic comedy, About Pie features director, writer, and actor Joshua Lester take on a millennial’s misadventures in romance, with pie a barometer for true love.
Everyone has a “thing”. For Joshua Lester, that thing is pie. It is featured so much in About Pie, that its various forms such be given a screen credit, and can you blame him? Pie is delicious, cheap, and there is a different one to sort any mood. For Joshua’s on-screen character, known simply as The Pie Guy, it is also the perfect first date go-to food. That so much pie is featured in About Pie proves that the man’s dating game is very healthy.
About Pie isn’t so much a movie about looking for “the one”, as it is about the looming shadow of the one who got away. Even more so it is about the spectrum of relationships that are a part of The Pie Guy’s life. From random first dates to his late-night booty call (Amanda Westlake), all the way to his Star Wars obsessed best friend (Greg Hirshland) and ailing father (Ed Regine), The Pie Guy is with many people in his life although he is essentially a lonely person.
Only makes sense that this story of a lonely heart is set in Los Angeles, which has played backdrop to many stories of lonely souls lost within a sea of people. Lester sets his scenes across various pie spots and bars in Venice, where the multi-talented filmmaker is based, and presents LA as a living breathing city as opposed to a tourist attraction. A breezy, catchy soundtrack adds to the charm of the film.
Lester himself proves to be a compelling leading man. Even though his character is often clueless and even at times selfish in his typical millennial way, Lester enthuses him with a likeable everyman vibe that is infectious. He’s the kind of guy you could have a drink, or slice of pie, with.
Split into chapters based on pie flavours – strawberry, blueberry, etc – About Pie is a film that has many different flavours: coming of age story; romantic comedy; indie drama. Above all, About Pie is a well written and performed movie that is as pleasant and warm as a nice piece of …well, you know.
