For his debut film as a director, Brandon Dermer chooses a really wise and funny science fiction yarn in the form of I’m Totally Fine (2022). A story following a rich woman as she tries to process the grief produced by the sudden death of her best friend, the film tries to channel the nature of healing through passages of gentle comedy. And, it mostly succeeds in the process because of the fantastic performances by Jillian Bell and Natalie Morales.
It feels slightly overcooked throughout its first half, and there is no visible attempt to flesh out its eccentric supporting character. Nevertheless, it remains a charming little buddy movie that is unafraid to explore its emotional capabilities. Here is our attempt to deconstruct the film and its ending for you.
I’m Totally Fine (2022) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
The film opens with the protagonist Vanessa (Jillian Bell) weeping by the roadside, seated in her electric car. She is deeply disturbed, having recently lost her childhood best friend Jennifer (Natalie Morales) who was also her business partner. Her boyfriend Eric (Blake Anderson) has sent her off for a solitary vacation at the luxurious villa that the two friends had rented to throw a party on the success of a deal.
Upon reaching the villa, she gets even more triggered by the arrival of Sandra (Karen Maruyama), a party planner who starts unloading the stuff for the party that was to happen the following night. While Vanessa tries her best to convince her to cancel the event since the host herself has passed away, Sandra refuses, saying the formalities have been done and she can’t legally cancel the party, so the setup must happen in any case.
HOW DOES VANESSA REACT TO THE PARTY ARRANGEMENTS?
Upon witnessing the food and decoration that means a superficial nothing now, Vanessa gets even more depressed. It seems as if in the absence of closure, she starts losing her mind. She wants to pick herself up and clear her head, but the possibility of it seems distant to her. Somehow, she dozes off, as the night lights flicker around her by the movements of the wind and a strange light from above.
The next morning, she hears the voice of Jennifer asking if she wants coffee. Impulsively, she says yes to it. Realizing what just happened, she looks in front of her in a state of shock and sees Jennifer offering her the coffee. Vanessa quickly goes to the bathroom and vomits. However, upon the sighting of Jennifer in her kitchen again, she gets sure that she has lost her mind and leaves the house.
She gets into the car and video-calls Eric to let him know that she is unwilling to stay there anymore. Eric politely tells her that it’s because she is mourning and she must stay calm and stay there. She feels a little reassured and cuts the call, resolving not to overthink and hallucinate like she assumes she did minutes ago. However, she sees this impression of Jennifer.
WHO IS THIS LOOKALIKE?
This photocopy of Jennifer whom Vanessa thought she was hallucinating all the while, appears before her at the time of her workout and asks her to sit for an orientation. She then reveals that the original Jennifer remains sadly deceased. She is in fact an extra-terrestrial creature who has come from another planet to research human interactions and the way the human body perceives things.
She then starts an elaborate (and hilarious) animated presentation to display how she attempts to get comfortable with Vanessa through the help of Jennifer’s body and mind. After much reluctance and an extremely loud display of hesitation, Vanessa finally agrees to keep this unreal Jen for 48 hours with her. For the sake of this piece, let’s call her ET Jen.
So, our ET Jen has a small recording device that she uses to record her observations on the general behavior of Vanessa, and with her consent of course. This ranges from testing her aquatic agility to her cycling capabilities, and her inquiries about her sleeping behavior. In the process, she reveals the one secret that Jennifer took to her grave and kept from Vanessa.
WHAT WAS THE ONE LIE THAT JENNIFER TOLD VANESSA?
ET Jen reveals that the Papa Roach concert that Vanessa had attended for the first time with Jennifer was not, in fact, the first for both of them. Jennifer had actually attended a Papa Roach concert a year earlier with her elder sister. To confirm this, Vanessa calls Jennifer’s sister to ask about it. The latter can’t believe Vanessa found out because this was something that Jennifer had sworn to take to her grave.
Vanessa breaks down on hearing this, another of the many examples of the mutual love and trust that the two shared. She starts warming up to ET Jen a bit more and takes the road with her to the store in order to get the soda bottles of her company. She is actually unmindful of the fact that the presence of ET Jen actually absorbs all the battery of a nearby device (at an earlier instance, her decently charged phone got 0%). So, the car stops in the middle of the road.
ET Jen asks Vanessa to take a lift from the passing-by cars, but the latter refuses any interaction with strangers. The former requests her to do so because her skin can’t stay for long in the sun, and she has to drink olive oil in order to survive which isn’t available. The two then bump into the local towny whom we recognize from the film’s very first act.
WHO IS THE MAN? DOES VANESSA ACCEPT HIS HELP?
Actually, when Vanessa had stopped her car at a point before reaching the villa, she had asked for a cigarette from this local man. The man gave her two cigarettes, also telling her that they are rather bad for her health. The man gets off his car and offers to help Vanessa, which she repeatedly refuses.
Still, as ET Jen gulps down the engine oil in the background, the two gradually strike a conversation. In the process, Vanessa reveals that the company has not been the same since Jennifer’s demise and she needs to dissolve her shares of the latter and take all of them for herself. The man wins a degree of Vanessa’s trust and gives both of them a lift back home, promising to get the car repaired by the aid of his nerdy friend.
WHAT HAPPENS AT THE PARTY?
The two reach home just in time for the ‘party’ to begin. As they reflect on the bond the two best friends shared, DJ Twisted Bristle (a cute Harvey Guillen) knocks on their doors. Since he has a commitment and needs to play the music, he sets up in the backyard of the villa. The girls drink, dance, and party hard, also sharing a small conversation in the bathtub. The rhythm of their talking is broken by the sound of Papa Roach’s “Cut my Life into Pieces”, and they break their floors to it before tucking themselves into bed.
The next morning, Vanessa is surprised to find that ET Jen herself went to the store and bought the two soda bottles with their receipt.
I’M TOTALLY FINE (2022) MOVIE ENDING, EXPLAINED:
DOES E.T JEN FINALLY LEAVE?
The two girls hold the soda bottles and relax in the garden. ET Jen complements the cardamom flavor of it, which she is informed was initially disapproved by Jennifer during her lifetime. It is then that ET Jen reveals she would leave for her planet in the next few hours. Vanessa doesn’t approve of her departure.
However, after much conflict and argument, yes, she does finally leave for her planet. But before leaving, she gives a warm reassurance that times spent together are never forgotten.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF E.T JEN?
The next day, Vanessa is seen cleaning the villa before leaving. She then finds the party billboard the lines of which were quoted by ET Jen before leaving, in order to reassure her new human friend. Vanessa then hits the car and calls Eric.
She tells him that she is absolutely okay, although a little sad. She says that she wants to have a party of family and friends to celebrate the life and times of Jennifer. So while it would take a while to move on, the healing process of Vanessa has finally begun. The loss of ET Jen helps her to cope with the grief of losing the Jennifer she was attached to all her life.
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