29 to Life Review: Weird but Awkwardly Charming

Murphy Martin plays Barnaby. A man who’s sh*t out of luck. Despite small success as a chef he still lives with his parents and after losing his job, he loses his home and his girlfriend to boot. 

Forced to live inside his car Barnaby just sulks through life until he meets an old high school friend called Madison (Diana Solis). 

This coming of age / romantic comedy then suddenly unfolds as Barnaby and Madison go about their business in lets say, unorthodox ways.

It’s great to see 29 to Life boast a young talented cast. It’s great to see upcoming talent so early on in their careers and it shines through in this indie coming of age dramedy.

Rather than your average film of this type 29 to Life goes that few cuts deeper. 

As an audience I felt connected to the majority of the characters on screen and whilst some scenes felt forced and maybe over-acted in parts the core values held strong. 

Barnaby’s character is an unusual character to relate to. For me I didn’t feel connected to him throughout the picture. He had a whole Napoleon Dynamite thing going on. His attitude to just about anything seemed disconnected to me personally.

It isn’t specifically stated in the movie but I do have a feeling that Barnaby has some kind of personality disorder or something of that nature. It would be the only explanation for his erratic behaviour.

Nevertheless, the film has it’s funny moments and there is no denying the obvious chemistry that Barnaby and Madison share on screen. 

It’s a well-hearted flick made with the best intentions and there’s a longing sense of honesty throughout the piece. This movie isn’t trying to be something it isn’t, it’s out there, unguarded and ready for people to love or hate it.

Thankfully, I loved it. Whilst the majority of the film felt a little awkward to me in terms of Barnaby’s character it was the irresistible chemistry between our two leads that soldiered me through the feature.