When it comes down to it, spending time with genuine douche bags is rarely time well spent which leads me to the weird position of having watched a great film that I didn’t enjoy.

Listen Up Philip is beautifully filmed on 16mm, superbly scripted and the acting is universally perfect.  The problem is that both Philip, played by Jason Schwartzman, and his mentor Ike, Jonathan Pryce, are such completely terrible people that time in their company is painful.  And not in a Larry ‘this is what the world would be like if we didn’t censor ourselves’ David way because these guys are so cynical and misanthropic that their company is suffocating.

They are unbearable and so is this well crafted, insightful and at times funny film.

Did I mention that Elizabeth Moss is in this?  Well she is, and she is as brilliant as ever.

Recommended.