jm10701 It's impossible to write a meaningful review of this movie without revealing the surprise ending. Anybody who leaves out the last 20 minutes is giving an unbalanced review that will leave many viewers feeling angry and betrayed if they see the movie based on that review. This is one of the three huge flaws in the movie, which I will elaborate below.SPOILER ALERT: PROCEED ONLY IF YOU ALREADY KNOW OR WANT TO KNOW HOW THIS MOVIE ENDS.-------------That's its first big flaw. This movie forces a conscientious reviewer to reveal the ending because it presents itself dishonestly as a gently romantic and sensitive character study when it's really a thriller. The ending betrays a viewer who has fallen under its sensitive, romantic spell with a shocking twist at the end. That is certainly a novel approach in movie-making, but it's also mean-spirited - almost as bad as secretly rewriting Winnie-the-Pooh so that it ends with Christopher Robin being gang-raped, but not warning parents before they read the book to their children.This is as good a place as any to deal with the often-repeated excuse "But it's a true story!", because that's a lie. Even if the Davy Rothbart story the movie is based on is completely true (and there's good reason to doubt that), this movie distorts his story. (You can still read it on the GQ website, as I did; it's a badly-written and annoying story, by the way - hardly worth making into a movie.)In the story, Davy had already suspected that "Nicole" might be a man, but he was having fun so he kept playing the phone-sex game. He was savvy and worldly, not at all the totally clueless, paralyzingly shy man the Davy in the movie is. It is unforgivable for the movie to create such a helpless, hopeless, rawly vulnerable character and then rip his slowly emerging, microscopic hopes to shreds the way this horrible movie does.That's its second big flaw. It creates a preternaturally innocent, naive and vulnerable protagonist and then brutalizes him for entertainment.The third, and to me the most unforgivable, flaw in this offensive movie is that the horror at the end of the tunnel is the fact that "Nicole" is really a gay man. Aaron is a man almost as shy and vulnerable as Davy is, but he's as unattractive as Davy is adorable. Davy is enormously appealing in his innocence and his sweet vulnerability - but Aaron is just a sleazy, lying, slimy creep.Being gay is wonderful. I love it. I wouldn't be straight if you gave me a billion dollars. So having the monster who suddenly punches you in the gut at the end of a "heartwarming" movie be a gay man is deeply insulting. And then to have him be a creep, a pervert, a disgusting loser - in sharp contrast to Davy's charming, heartwarming (and straight!) loser - makes the insult even more appalling.I cannot imagine what kind of person likes this movie. Certainly not any gay person; or any shy person, gay or straight; or anyone who cares about shy or gay people. The only audience I can imagine for this movie is severely abused women serving life sentences for murdering their abusers. They might be able to identify with the Davy this movie creates and then savages for entertainment by revealing that his secret love is a gay creep.Don't blame it on Rothbart's story, as dumb and offensive as that story is; blame it on Alvarez's movie, which is far worse.

arizona-philm-phan (( "Davy" is a character who can be considered as one with deeply intertwined emotional / behavioral problems ))Whether this movie's background is just story writer, Rothbart's own....or part his life / part fiction....or just a tale made up for a fictional Davy, is not the important thing here. Instead, what we need to focus on is that the lead we are given in this film unquestionably comes across as having had much more than usual problems in relating to females. Specifically, females with whom he has attempted to become more than just friends. With all other people in his life, Davy seems a likable sort....that is when, or if, they even realize he is around (he often seems "overlooked").I truly believe that what this film shows us, intentionally or not, is that Davy is way more unhappy than we see on the surface.....and will likely always be unhappy. Why? Because he is trying to live up to the "norms" which society is forever instilling in us. But, what Davy (and all of us) need to discover is that when we have met a person who has grown all-important to us, a someone we have come to love and want to spend our future with.....THEN, such things as our color...our sex...and other factors should not be deciding ones. If we BOTH want this THING.....then that is the way it should be. Take a chance.At film's end Davy chose, either from fear or lack of desire, NOT to take that step. Or did he....after that fading scene? Was there....should there have been....a later chapter for Davy?PS--Oh, Davy, take a chance.....See if it will make you happy!

discobuf As young, first time director, Kyle Patrick Alvarez, created quite a film, Easier with Practice, and is creating quite a stir. A passion of his since forever, was to direct and create movies. A lot of people do not know he is very musical also and brought great independent music to the film. He is very well read and a great writer. He really understands the entire process of movie making. Not every director has that gift. Everyone who worked with him on the film, have nothing but respect for Kyle Patrick. A 'true' Indie film made on a small budget. He casted the film perfectly. Although there is phone sex, the movie is really about an experience, a love story, a troubled soul. Based on a true story that was maybe 3 pages long, Kyle Patrick immediately knew upon reading it, he could make it into a full length movie. He is a Hollywood 'REFRESHER'! SOMEONE TO WATCH indeed.....

Turfseer It's hard to classify 'Easier with Practice'. The film fits rather perfectly into the overall 'indie' category but beyond that, it's more an amalgam of genres. 'Practice' is a bit of a buddy picture as the two main characters are brothers who go on the road for over half of the film's screen time. But it's also a mystery, with a welcome 'twist' ending.Davy Mitchell (Brian Geraghty) has gone on the road to publicize his unpublished collection of short stories at various bookstores and college campuses around the country. Accompanying him is his brother, Sean, who's chief goal during this trip is to pick up girls. One night at their motel room, while Sean is outside, Davy gets a random phone call from a woman with a sexy voice who identifies herself as 'Nicole'; they immediately start having phone sex together, with a long-winded scene of Davy masturbating as Nicole arouses him. The phone sex continues throughout Davy's book tour but the aspiring writer begins having more extended conversations with Nicole and he soon finds himself falling in love with her. Nicole refuses, however, to give Davy her own number so he must always wait for her call. Meanwhile, Sean eventually finds out about the mysterious caller and mocks his brother for his obsession. The two finally return home where we learn that Davy supports himself as a temp worker but right now can't find employment. Sean and his girlfriend invite Davy over to a party where he runs into Samantha, a woman who he had a brief fling with some time ago. Davy begins dating Samantha after Nicole stops calling him. Apparently, Nicole would not give in to Davy's demand to see him in person. After Davy doesn't hear from Nicole for weeks he becomes depressed and realizes that he has no desire to reciprocate Samantha's affection.Finally, Nicole calls back and they agree to meet. Davy purchases a plane ticket and flies to the city where Nicole lives. She initially cancels a dinner date but then agrees to see Davy the next day at a chain restaurant in the afternoon. I won't give away the surprise ending but Nicole doesn't turn out to be who Davy thinks she is.'Easier with Practice' is a very slow-paced film. The many scenes where Davy is on the phone with Nicole are static from a visual standpoint. Nonetheless, first time writer/director Kyle Patrick Alvarez manages to convey the loneliness of the depressed writer through a series of evocative visual images throughout the film.Alvarez does a fine job in directing the actors who give, low-key understated performances. A little more could have been done with brother Sean as he seems a bit of a one-note character, mainly expressing contempt for his brother who has an inability to form decent relationships. I also wanted to know more about how Davy supported himself—how was he able to finance his 'book tour' and later pay for his plane ticket (did he have savings?). Davy's internal character arc never develops much at all. At the film's denouement, there is a hint that he has grown from his experience but we're uncertain where he is headed in the future. Still, it's the mystery of the mystery caller's identity which we're curious about and the film pays off handsomely with a surprise, twist ending. If you're willing to put up with the slow-paced narrative, you will be rewarded with a neat surprise at the film's end.