Title: The Flick
Author: Annie Baker
First published February 11, 2014
177 pages, Paperback
ISBN: 9781559364584 (ISBN10: 1559364580)
Rating: 4.08
Overview
The Flick takes place in a rundown cinema in Massachusetts, where three underpaid workers clean up after the last showing of the day. The state is about to switch to digital projectors, and this means the end of an era.
Annie Baker’s play captures the essence of the movie theatre’s magic and the heartbreak of the characters who work there. The Flick is a critically acclaimed comedy that won the 2013 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, an Obie Award for Playwriting, and the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
With her sharp insight and attention to detail, Baker delivers a moving and funny tribute to the power of movies and the people who love them.
About the Author
Meet Annie Baker, a talented playwright with an impressive resume. Originally from Amherst, Massachusetts, she graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in Dramatic Writing.
She went on to earn her Master of Fine Arts from Brooklyn College.
One of her most notable plays, Body Awareness, was performed off-Broadway by the Atlantic Theater Company in 2008. The production starred JoBeth Williams and was nominated for both a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award.
Her play The Aliens premiered at Playwrights Horizons in 2009 and won Obie Awards for Best New American Play and Performance, Ensemble. The following year, her play Circle Mirror Transformation was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and shared the Obie Award for Best New American Play with The Aliens.
Baker is also known for her adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, which premiered at the Soho Repertory Theatre in 2012. It was praised by reviewers as a “funky, fresh new production.” Her play The Flick premiered at Playwrights Horizons in 2013 and earned her the Obie Award for Playwriting.
When she’s not writing, Baker teaches in the MFA program at Stony Brook Southampton. She’s also been selected as one of seven playwrights to participate in the 2008 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab and was named a Fellow of United States Artists in 2011.
Editoral Review
Annie Baker’s The Flick is a Pulitzer Prize-winning play that explores the mundane lives of three employees working in a rundown movie theater in Massachusetts. Baker, a playwright known for her precise characterizations and attention to detail, immerses readers in this world through meticulous descriptions of the theater’s shabby decor and the employees’ repetitive tasks.
The Flick is a character-driven play that primarily focuses on the individual experiences of Avery, a 20-something college student and cinephile, and his co-workers, Sam and Rose. Over several weeks, the play examines the dynamics of their relationships and the societal pressures that have led them to take jobs that offer little hope for a future.
The play delves into themes of loneliness, class struggle, and identity, as Baker masterfully showcases the small moments that shape their lives. Despite the minimalist plot, Baker’s writing provides readers with a richly textured portrayal of the characters’ interior lives.
The dialogue is realistic and captures the humor and awkwardness of daily life, while still delivering poignant insights into the characters. The play’s pacing is deliberate and measured, drawing readers into the world of these characters and capturing the monotony of their daily routines.
What sets The Flick apart is its attention to detail, which is evident in the marvelous set design and a soundtrack that is laden with pop classics from the 90s. The play’s creative design elements create a lasting impression and fully immerse readers in the world of the play.
However, one limitation of the play is its length, which may test the patience of some readers. Some may find that the limited action and dialogue drag on, and that the characterizations can be a little too understated.
Despite its flaws, The Flick is a beautiful and thought-provoking play that is well worth reading. It speaks to the universal experience of modern urban life and successfully captures the ennui of working-class America.
Annie Baker’s writing is evocative and moving, and her attention to detail in creating an accurate portrayal of the everyday is commendable. In conclusion, The Flick is a must-read for fans of minimalist writing and character-driven stories.
It offers a nuanced, relatable portrayal of the human experience and speaks to larger themes about class and identity. We give it four stars out of five.
