“When veteran comedy writer Charlie Burnz meets New York street singer Emma Payge, they form an unlikely yet hilarious and touching friendship that kicks the generation gap aside and redefines the meaning of love and trust.” – IMDb
Here Today (2021)
Starring
Billy Crystal, Tiffany Haddish, Andrew Durand, Susan Pourfar, Penn Badgley
Directed by
Billy Crystal
Written by
Alan Zweibel & Billy Crystal
Storyline
The movie opens with Billy Crystal’s character, Charlie, getting ready for the day. Daily hygiene, breakfast, writing, and soon he is walking down his street and then further into the city. You hear him mutter “Left” under his breath. He later reaches a stop sign and says, “Stop sign, left”. The further he walks, the more you see him absorbing his surroundings.
He enters a building and then an elevator, and upon the doors reopening, he sees flashing lights and a police officer saying, “Mr Burnz? Are you Charlie Burnz? I’m talking to you.” The cop then disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. Charlie asks where his colleagues are and a woman reminds him that it’s Monday and that it’s a writer’s meeting. Charlie joins the group who is brainstorming ideas for the TV show they work for. We then see him using a typewriter to come up with new comedic segments for the show.
We then see him waiting in a restaurant to meet with Tiffany Hadish’s character, Emma. Her boyfriend is a big fan of Charlie’s and had bid on a lunch date with him for $22 and had won. Since he couldn’t make it, she came in his place. This is when we start to see Billy Crystal’s comedic talent shine through. After a bit of time, Emma’s face swells up due to a severe allergic reaction to the seafood. Charlie goes to the hospital with her, pays for all of her medications, and brings her back to her home to ensure that she is okay. While she says she will pay him back every penny, he says it is unnecessary.
We then see Charlie playing tennis with his Son, played by Penn Badgley.
Afterward, they are conversing about going to the Bat Mitzvah of Charlie’s Granddaughter on his Daughter’s side. From the way he speaks about his daughter, it is clear that there is a bit of tension. Charlie is then unable to remember which locker is his and needs the help of an employee to find it.
As his Daughter and Granddaughter are in the car on a drive, Charlie calls them and his daughter refuses to speak to him. We then see Charlie at a session with his Doctor, discussing how he’s feeling, his flashbacks, his medications, his writing, and his work. As we already suspected, he is in the early stages of dementia.
He goes home and falls asleep writing at his desk. He is woken by Emma’s voice yelling at a cyclist who knocked her over in the street outside of his house. She had found his address on Google to pay him back for his help at the hospital. Inside, she notices a board full of photos of his family with their names written down next to the pictures. He tells her it is because he is writing a story about them.
After this, their budding friendship continues to grow.
Throughout the rest of the film, we see the dynamic of where Charlie works. From jealousy/uncertainty from some of his younger coworkers and a friendship he has with another coworker who looks up to (and stands up for) him; it seems people have mixed reviews on whether or not Charlie belongs there.
Later on, Sharon Stone and Kevin Kline have a brief cameo during an interview Charlie does with them. It is at this time that Emma notices something is a bit off. She doesn’t overwhelm him with questions. She doesn’t mention a thing. He tags along with her to her place of work and watches her perform on stage. Afterward, they walk home and he learns more about her. This is when she asks him about what’s really going on. He then tells her the story of the first time he became confused and didn’t recognize his Son.
He also tells Emma about his wife who passed away.
He says he’s writing a book about her and needs to get it done before he loses all of his memory. Emma gives him her phone number in case he ever wants to contact her. She asks him questions about his wife, and we see him go back in time to a memory of when he first met Carrie. The way they transition back and forth from past to present was well done.
For the remainder of the film, we witness Charlie and Emma getting closer and closer. This is met with criticism from his family who are skeptical about Emma’s motives. We also see how Charlie’s condition is getting harder to live with. From feeling confused while walking around the city to realizing things can get dangerous quite quickly for him- they do a fantastic job of making you feel overwhelmed by it.
Eventually, we learn of the reason why Charlie’s relationship with his daughter is the way it is. Although, not before she makes you want to pull your hair out about a billion times. At first, you’re unsure if she is simply a bit jealous of the relationship Emma has with Charlie. Is there more to it than that? Well, you’ll have to go watch it. But, it is an emotional ride. There will be moments when you’ll want to close your eyes because you just don’t want to see what’s about to happen, but you also can’t look away.
Thoughts
I appreciate how so many people stand up for Charlie throughout the movie. In the beginning, there is something that we don’t know the full story of. Once we learn more, it all falls into place but that doesn’t make it any less difficult to accept. There are times when you can’t help but wonder if he did something superbly awful but due to his condition, he simply doesn’t remember it. It’s a fear that stays with you for the majority of the film.
Overall
To be honest, I just really enjoyed seeing Billy Crystal again. It brings me back to his City Slickers days and it was quite nostalgic. Is Here Today the best movie I’ve ever seen? No. It’s worth watching at least once if you’re a fan of Crystal’s, though. Haddish is enjoyable and her character is endearing; I’m not always a fan of hers, but this film makes me warm up to her quite a bit more.
It’s a story of love, loss, friendship, forgiveness, family, and all of the things that matter the most. I fully enjoyed how the story progresses and concludes. Grab your tissue box just in case (I watched it twice thinking that I would be fine the second time… I wasn’t). And get ready to laugh, too. Just be prepared for quite a roller coaster ride of emotions.
