Mark, Mary & Some Other People (2022)

Smith’s Verdict: ***1/2

Reviewed by Tanner Smith

Let me get this out of the way first. “Mark, Mary & Some Other People” recently dropped on Hulu and I remember constantly looking for updates on this film in 2021, wondering when it would get released after its Tribeca Film Festival premiere. Well I guess it’s out now…and I don’t recall it being available on any streaming services around the time I made my 2021 list, so screw it, I’m considering it a 2022 film (hence the “2022” credit in the title for this post).

It’s the same reasoning I used to put “Minari” on my 2021 list. Maybe “Mark, Mary & Some Other People” has a chance for my 2022 list…maybe.

Why was I interested in this film? Because of who made it: actress-filmmaker Hannah Marks. I just think she’s very interesting and I admire her passion and drive to make films about…whatever. I saw an interview with her in which she name-dropped movies like “50/50” and “Frances Ha,” and she said she wanted to make movies about what happens with other characters in similar situations to the ones in those movies. And she’s good at it–“After Everything” (which she co-directed/co-wrote) is an interesting dramedy about life after cancer; “Banana Split” (which she wrote and starred in) tackles female friendship through difficult circumstances; and I’d very much like to see what she did with directing the John Green adaptation “Turtles All the Way Down” (but I haven’t heard a thing about that one since 2019; weird).

Now we have “Mark, Mary & Some Other People,” in which a pair of newlyweds (named Mark & Mary) try out an ethical open marriage. Right away, that’s interesting–I don’t see that very often. How do these two complicated lovebirds (played by Ben Rosenfield and Hayley Law) play this out? Well…it’s complicated. These two are kinda reluctant about it, they’re only doing it because they wonder what’s the point of strict monogamy (millennials these days; we question everything, am I right?), and when it gets down to the subject of ethical non-monogamy, they HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY’RE DOING.

This film kinda reminded me of “Humpday,” about people questioning the concept of sexual identity just because of what’s “usual” in their world. These characters in “Mark, Mary & Some Other People” are in a similar boat. This is what I love about indie film–it can go places the mainstream is generally afraid to tackle unless it’s “cool.”

I liked the two lead actors. Ben Rosenfield’s playful goofiness is something I like to see in a lead character, and Hayley Law (who I liked in “Spontaneous” and “Echo Boomers”) fares just as well with a solid charisma, a guard up, and an attitude to go with the rhetorical questions her character continually asks (again, us millennials…we can be the most annoying sometimes). The supporting cast is made up of mostly the leads’ friends, who are very snarky and annoying at times, but then again, the two leads are very snarky and annoying at times–why criticize it?

The chemistry is on point and there are some genuinely funny moments (such as Mary’s outrageous band names and a welcomed cameo by Gillian Jacobs as a doctor) to go with heavy (and sometimes uncomfortable) scenes in which the things these two crazies joke about blow up in their faces. So where does this whole scenario end up? Well, again…it’s complicated. BUT it’s also inevitable.

I kinda love this movie. “Mark, Mary & Some Other People” may be Hannah Marks’ best effort as a filmmaker yet. If you have a Hulu account, you can check it out there–see if it’s a stream-worthy romcom with a couple annoying albeit charming, realistic, complicated newlyweds…or if it’s a deplorable mess featuring insufferable people. Either way, I think it’s worth thinking about.