Come as You Are (2019 film)

{{Infobox film

| name = Come as You Are

| image = Come As You Are 2019 poster.jpg

| alt =

| caption =

| director = Richard Wong

| producer = Jacqueline E. Ingram
Grant Rosenmeyer
Barrett Stuart

| writer = Erik Linthorst

| story =

| starring = Grant Rosenmeyer
Hayden Szeto
Ravi Patel
Gabourey Sidibe

| music = Jeremy Turner

| cinematography = Richard Wong

| editing = Richard Wong

| studio = Chicago Media Angels
Florida Hill Entertainment
The Black List

| distributor = Samuel Goldwyn Films

| released = {{Film date|2019|03|09|South by Southwest|2020|02|14|United States}}

| runtime = 106 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget =

| gross =

}}

Come as You Are is a 2019 American comedy drama film directed by Richard Wong and starring Grant Rosenmeyer, Hayden Szeto, Ravi Patel and Gabourey Sidibe. Produced and financed by Chicago Media Angels and The Blacklist,{{cite web |author=Hurtado |first=J. |date=March 12, 2019 |title=SXSW 2019 Review: COME AS YOU ARE, Surprisingly Empathetic Cross Country Sexcapade |url=https://screenanarchy.com/2019/03/sxsw-2019-review-come-as-you-are-is-a-surprisingly-empathetic-cross-country-sexcapade.html |accessdate=January 18, 2020 |website=Screen Anarchy}}{{cite web|last=Ramos|first=Dino-Ray|title='Come As You Are' Clip: Gabourey Sidibe Is Nobody's Sweetheart In Offbeat SXSW Road Trip Movie|date=March 5, 2019|work=Deadline Hollywood|url=https://deadline.com/2019/03/come-as-you-are-clip-sxsw-gabourey-sidibe-ravi-patel-hayden-szeto-grant-rosenmeyer-richard-wong-1202569974/|accessdate=January 18, 2020}} it is a remake of the 2011 Belgian film Hasta la Vista.{{cite web|last=Harvey|first=Dennis|title=SXSW Film Review: 'Come as You Are'|date=March 19, 2019|work=Variety|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/come-as-you-are-review-1203164706/|accessdate=January 18, 2020}} The plot concerns three friends who, along with a hired driver, set out for a brothel in Montreal that caters to people with disabilities.

Plot

Scotty, Matt, and Mo befriend each other while attending a physical therapy center. Twentysomething Scotty has been a paraplegic since birth and lives with his overbearing mother Liz. Matt, an Asian-American former athlete, has recently begun using a wheelchair and lives with his parents and sister. Mo, of South Asian ethnicity, is in his 30s and blind. All three men seem resigned to their situations as lifelong virgins, until Scotty learns about a brothel in Montreal that specifically caters to men with disabilities. He persuades Matt and Mo to secretly hire a special needs van and a driver, and the trio sneaks out of their respective homes to hit the road.

The road trip involves various pit stops and misadventures, including a jazz club in Chicago and a run-in with a state trooper. The men, as well as driver Sam, also confront prejudice due to their disabilities and their respective ethnicities. Meanwhile, the men's parents are working together to track down their sons.

Cast

{{cast listing|

Grant Rosenmeyer as Scotty
Hayden Szeto as Matt
Ravi Patel as Mo
Gabourey Sidibe as Sam
Janeane Garofalo as Liz
C. S. Lee as Roger
Jennifer Jelsema as Maryanne
Martha Kuwahara as Jamie
Daisye Tutor as Becky
Delaney Feener as Sarah
Kari Perdue as Jennifer
Michael Waller as Bobby
Netta Walker as Claire
Christian Litke as Drunk Guy
Marika Engelhardt as Angelique
Sophie Hoyt as Valerie
Christine Vrem-Ydstie as Chantal

}}

Release

Come as You Are premiered at the 2019 South by Southwest Film Festival. At the Napa Valley Film Festival it won an Audience Award,{{Cite web |last=Dore |first=Shalini |date=2019-11-20 |title='Lucky Grandma' Wins Napa Valley Film Festival Narrative Feature Prize |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/festivals/napa-valley-film-festival-winners-1203410075/ |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} and it was an opening night film at SF IndieFest. It received a limited release in the United States on February 14, 2020.{{Cite web |title=Come as You Are (2020) |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Come-As-You-Are#tab=summary |access-date=February 23, 2024 |website=The Numbers}}

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of {{RT data|score}} based on {{RT data|count}} reviews, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The website's critics consensus reads: "Come As You Are approaches sensitive subjects with heart and humor, taking audiences on a thoroughly entertaining road trip to a crowd-pleasing destination."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/come_as_you_are_2020|title=Come as You Are (2019)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/come-as-you-are|title=Come As You Are Reviews|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=August 3, 2020}}

G. Allen Johnson of the San Francisco Chronicle said that though the film appears to be a predictable "guys-trying-to-lose-their-virginity" sex comedy, it surprises viewers with its empathy and depth. He wrote, "Crass and confrontational at the outset, 'Come as You Are' achieves a winning sense of vulnerability", adding it "is a funny and moving crowd-pleaser".{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=G. Allen |title=Review: 'Come as You Are' adds a new twist to the well-trodden sex comedy |url=https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/movies-tv/review-come-as-you-are-adds-a-new-twist-to-the-well-tread-sex-comedy |access-date=23 February 2024 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=February 12, 2020}} Writing for The Observer, Wendy Ide said the film "explores its theme of sexuality and disability with admirable candour". The Chicago Sun-Times{{'}} Richard Roeper said the film "earns its laughs and tears".{{cite news |last1=Roeper |first1=Richard |title='Come As You Are' freshens up the road-trip cliches |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2014/11/20/21133325/come-as-you-are-review-road-trip-movie-gabourey-sidibe |access-date=23 February 2024 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |date=February 11, 2020}}

Despite praise for the direction, script, and humor, critics pointed out how the casting of able-bodied actors as disabled characters presented a missed opportunity for the film.{{Cite news |last=Ide |first=Wendy |date=2020-07-18 |title=Come As You Are review - a briskly unsentimental journey |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jul/18/come-as-you-are-review-richard-wong-grant-rosenmeyer-disability-road-movie |access-date=2024-02-23 |work=The Observer |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}{{Cite web |last=Kermode |first=Mark |date=August 18, 2020 |title=Come as You Are |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NOU9IRqEQQ |access-date=February 23, 2024 |website=Kermode & Mayo’s Film Review}}{{Cite web |last=Frederick |first=Candice |date=2020-02-13 |title='Come As You Are' Film Review: Uneven Comedy Spotlights Disabled Characters But Casts Able-Bodied Actors |url=https://www.thewrap.com/come-as-you-are-film-review-gabourey-sidibe/ |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=TheWrap |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Girish |first=Devika |date=February 13, 2020 |title='Come as You Are' Review: Three Disabled Men on a Sex Quest |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/movies/come-as-you-are-review.html |access-date=February 23, 2024 |work=The New York Times}}{{Cite web |last=Laffly |first=Tomris |date=February 14, 2020 |title=Come As You Are movie review & film summary (2020) |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/come-as-you-are-movie-review-2020 |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=RogerEbert.com |language=en}}

In August 2021, during Edinburgh TV Festival's MacTaggart Lecture, British screenwriter and disability campaigner Jack Thorne cited the film as an example of ableism in the film and television industries, highlighting the lack of disabled actors in the cast.{{Cite AV media|title=MacTaggart Lecture: Jack Thorne {{!}} Edinburgh TV Festival 2021|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxUZPMBRIPU|date=August 23, 2021|language=en|access-date=2021-09-02}}