Cora Bora

The lead character in Cora Bora is deeply flawed and at times, overtly unlikable. I see this as equality. How common is it to see a male lead in a comedy film who’s just an overt piece of shit? Cora might not be a great person, but at least many of the things that come out of her mouth are funny. If either the fictional Cora or her real-life counterpart, Megan Stalter want to hit me up… I couldn’t fix her and I wouldn’t even try. But I’m more than willing to be made worse instead.

Cora lives in L.A. where she pursues her music career. Her girlfriend, Justine lives back in Portland. The two have an open relationship. But while Cora uses their non-monogamy for bisexual hook-ups, she discovers that Justine has a pretty serious new girlfriend. Impulsively, Cora books a flight back to Portland to try and salvage her relationship. Instead, she makes a series of comedic errors and has several misadventures. Through all of them, she keeps encountered a very kind, very attractive man named Tom.

The particularly handsome Manny Jacinto plays Tom. His character is a little too good to be true. He’s also in the movie less than I expected. I thought Cora Bora would be essentially, a romcom. It’s more like a breakup comedy. Maybe there’s supposed to be something between Tom and Cora. But it doesn’t amount to anything within the film’s runtime. Cora isn’t remotely ready for that. Whatever Tom is willing to offer her, Cora would much rather engage with worse, more dramatic people. And the movie is funnier because of it. Sure, Tom is a sweet guy. But as an audience, I’m thrilled that Cora spurned him in favour of hooking up with a Portland-based bisexual polycule. That’s just funnier.

Cora Bora’s biggest strength is quite simply, that it’s funny. Megan Stalter is an absolute star who’s perfect this oblivious, entitled millennial character. The obliviousness in particular means that Cora Bora could work as a long-running TV series, perhaps even better than it worked as a movie. Cora’s flaws mean that she’s unlikely to ever really conclude a conflict or grow enough to avoid fresh ones. Plus, the film’s structure is pretty episodic. Cora meets someone or reconnects with an old acquaintance. Things go south in a comedic manner. Rinse and repeat.

The film’s biggest surprise is when it gets dark in the third act. Overall, Cora’s dark backstory doesn’t really fit tonally with the rest of the film. However, Megan Stalter impressed me in her performance. I’ve only seen her do straight-up comedy. I was impressed by her performance of the tear-filled monologue. At least in that moment, I felt it. Plus, Cora Bora is good at then pivoting back to humour. Ironically, by way of having a different character also cry.

In addition to being funny, I appreciate Cora Bora for its more open and modern depiction of relationships. The drama between Cora, her girlfriend Justine and Justine’s girlfriend, Riley is a standout. This is a messy situation. One that’s ripe for jokes, but also has some depth. It’s also pretty new and unique as a relationship dynamic to be explored. Cora’s not being cheated on; she’s the one who opened the relationship. But how do you react to your girlfriend’s girlfriend? In Cora’s case, not very well, but to solid comedic effect.

I love Megan Stalter. I’ll watch her do anything. Cora Bora is a fun, very modern comedy. It’s not a romance, but is focused on various relationships. And the focus of said relationships is largely what’s funny about them? And the answer is a lot. Portland is a wild place. I’m glad to finally see representation that matches my experiences. I absolutely know a guy who’s in a romantic roommate situationship with five other people that they refuse to label. It’s only taken me 600 WLW movies to see that guy represented onscreen. God bless.

Overall rating: 6.8/10

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