Review : 'I Used To Go Here' Not Surprising, but Humorous and Heartfelt

When our lives stagnate or don't go the way we planned, we often turn to the past. We may ponder a time in our lives full of possibility, hope, and excitement. Written and directed by Kris Rey, "I Used to Go Here" is a comedy about navigating fear and failure. Kate (Gillian Jacobs) has recently published her debut novel, which isn't selling well; her publisher cancels her book tour. Her mentor, professor David (Jemaine Clement), invites her to perform a reading at her alma mater, so she spends the weekend reminiscing her past and befriending college students.

Gillian Jacobs gives a great performance that anchors the film; Kate is endearing and awkward. Within the film's first few scenes, we discover her career woes, messy apartment, the fact that she has an ex-fianc�, and that all her close friends are pregnant. Jemaine Clement strikes the right chord of charismatic and inappropriate. The college kids are kind and nurturing. In one funny scene, Kate interrupts two people about to have sex so she can plug in her charger to read texts from her ex. The next scene cuts to them consoling her.

The plot is predictable, but because the writing is strong in other areas, it didn't diminish my enjoyment. The humorous film oozes with cringe-inducing moments. While numerous iterations of the arrested development narrative have been told before, I liked the film's impetus. It's not that Kate shirks responsibilities or doesn't want to grow up; rather, she wants to recapture her youth because she believes she had endless possibilities then, before her failures.

As things get worse in her life - including a horrible "New York Times" review (flashing close-ups of the review on-screen: "amateurish," "boring," "saccharine emotions, "pretentious prose") - Kate descends deeper into identifying with her youth. The film morphs into a madcap caper when Kate and the gang spy on David to see if he's having an affair.

Kate gives questionable writing advice to students, nuggets like sad stories are "out of fashion" and one-word titles aren't "in vogue." When audacious student writer April doesn't want to alter her story, Kate advises that she can't be "difficult starting out, especially as a woman," and edits are part of a writer's job. It illuminates gender bias and the clashing tensions between profitability versus conviction. While Kate is right that writers must edit their work, April is right that she shouldn't have to compromise her integrity and she should retain her autonomy.

Fear stymies Kate. She says she "was afraid to fail" when writing her first novel, so she didn't take bold risks. She reveals that she didn't want to marry her fianc�, but said yes to his proposal because she was "a coward."

"I Used to Go Here" examines how we handle failure. With a deceptively light touch, it delves into shattered dreams, fear, conformity, and power dynamics. What if you could relive your youth? Would you do anything differently? As the film conveys, it's nice to reminisce - but our best days are definitely not behind us.