Director Andrew Bujalski’s unusual yet charming film “Results” takes on the world of personal trainers and their clients, addressing the relationship between physical and emotional strength. Trevor, played by Guy Pearce (“Memento”), owns the Power 4 Life gym in Austin, Texas, a gym that promises to help clients achieve four things: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual power. He has a tense relationship with Kat, played by Cobie Smulders (“How I Met Your Mother”), a personal trainer at his gym who is also his ex-lover. For both of them, fitness and healthy living is a way of life.
The two characters find their intense fitness culture challenged by the recently divorced Danny, played by Kevin Corrigan (“Grounded for Life”). Overweight, self-indulgent and lazy, Danny hires Kat to help him improve his physical health. The audience soon learns that Danny inherited a large amount of money when his mother died, and he spends it carelessly in an attempt to cure his boredom and depression. He constantly posts ads on Craigslist, offering $200 in exchange for services like TV repairs, an obvious excuse for companionship.
Superficially, “Results” sheds light on the world of personal trainers and their clients, but at its core, it’s a film that centers around the feeling of loneliness. Trevor’s dedication to his dream of expanding his business has distanced him from his family and relationships. Kat’s intimidating and aloof nature makes it difficult for her to open up to those she cares about, and her aggression drives people away. Danny’s inability to move on from his wife has caused him to isolate himself from others, leaving him lonely and depressed.
“Results” humorously gives insight into a world many people know little about, but the audience will have a hard time caring about this aspect of the film because the characters are all so unlikeable. Viewers never learn why some characters act the way they do, and this makes understanding their emotional transformations at the end of the film difficult.
Bujalski introduces interesting secondary characters but never explores them in depth. Anthony Michael Hall (“The Breakfast Club”) plays Grigory, the Russian self-proclaimed “kettlebell master,” but he receives little screen time. Giovanni Ribisi (“Ted”) plays a sleazy and unprofessional commercial lawyer, but he also seems absent from the film. Bujalski could have developed these characters to further flesh out the film.
Kat and Trevor tentatively work on mending their relationship, but it’s clear this won’t be easy, and Danny works to slowly move on from his divorce. Unfortunately, other than these plot developments, “Results” fails to provide any substantive results by the conclusion of the film. Kat is only slightly less aggressive than before, Trevor is still overly attached to his dream of expanding his business and Danny still seems rather pathetic. The film leaves the audience with merely a shimmer of hope that these hopeless characters will improve their lives.
Grade: C+
“Results” (R, 105 min) is now playing at the Landmark E Street theater.
