Review: Magic Hour — Crooked Marquee

Magic Hour is not the type of movie that feels like it should hinge on a twist. From its early moments, this Duplass Brothers production has all the appearances of a low-key romantic drama that will be talky (in a good way) in its approach to the changing dynamics of a couple (Katie Aselton and Daveed Diggs) that are revealed while they stay at a friend’s place in Joshua Tree. Yet the script from director Aselton and husband Mark Duplass takes an unexpected turn down a quiet desert road. It isn’t out of line with the types of indie movies produced by the brothers that are often more complex than they appear on the surface.

In Magic Hour, it’s clear that something has caused a rift between the pair, even though their love for each other is evident from every interaction. When that something is discovered, it’s simultaneously crushing and far more surprising than it should’ve been for a movie that lays the groundwork for the reveal. This is not the first time a story like this has been told, but it is being told in Magic Hour with real affection and earnestness.

Erin (Aselton) and Charlie (Diggs) have a teasing, touching type of romance that feels best viewed through golden light. Magic Hour begins with flashback via a smartphone video to a day they spent at the Santa Monica Pier, but the bulk of the action (which is mostly the two of them talking with occasional appearances from other people) is set at the spare but gorgeous Joshua Tree house of Marshall (Brad Garrett). Erin and Charlie have escaped the hustle of home, but they can’t avoid the thing that is driving them apart and that followed them to the beautiful and isolated Joshua Tree.

Garrett shows up for a handful of scenes in his warm role as their host and friend, and a few others make brief appearances (notably Susan Sullivan as Erin’s mother), but—like most marriages where kids aren’t in the picture—Magic Hour is largely a two-hander. As an actress, Aselton has often shown a winsome combination of tenderness and toughness, and it’s a good fit for what Erin goes through at their temporary home in Joshua Tree. Her breakdowns are believable, as are the moments where she tries to power through what she’s facing.

Meanwhile, Tony winner Diggs is pure charm as Charlie. He’s marvelously likeable as an actor, and that quality works well for his role here , which leans on his charisma and vulnerability. With its difficult subject matter, Magic Hour could easily pitch too dark, but Diggs’ presence brings a welcome lightness to the proceedings. Together, they have the lived-in chemistry of a long-term couple, and their physical and emotional intimacy works in a way that feels real and makes their struggles more affecting.

Even with the strength of its central performances and some lovely cinematography from D.P. Sarah Whelden, I still wasn’t fully enchanted by Magic Hour. At just 80 minutes, it somehow seems to go on too long with scenes that felt more like padding the run time than adding to the film’s story. And yet, despite its flaws, it left me a bit of a wreck, with the type of haunting aftereffects that linger. True to its name, Magic Hour has some misdirection around what is actually going on between Erin and Charlie, but it’s too genuine in its aims to be considered truly manipulative. Aselton and Duplass wrote a story about the rhythms of this married couple in the present moment and in their past, and it’s tough not to see your own life in your reflections on what they’ve made together.