I was intrigued by the premise of “Love Me”, reading that Academy Award nominees Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun play a buoy and a satellite, respectively. I didn’t know exactly what that meant and avoided trailers and in-depth commentary on the film until I screened it.
The opening act is like a live-action version of “WALL-E”. In a post-apocalyptic Earth, a buoy in an ocean and a roaming satellite high above meet and begin to communicate. They discuss the impact of social media and what it means to post, like and share content. A unique and compelling start, though the commentary doesn’t have quite enough bite.
Still, at this point I was giving Sam and Andrew Zuchero, the writers and directors, a little credit for doing something a little different. But then these characters (the buoy becomes ‘Me’ and the satellite is named ‘I Am’) begin to overstay their welcome, and the story quickly and completely runs out of gas. Soon we see the Avatars of Stewart and Yeun, along with these actors in real-life, constantly arguing. They deliver such subpar and often annoyingly repetitive dialogue. The script also recycles material more than a couple times over just 90 minutes.
Maybe this would’ve worked better as a 10-minute short, or even an avant-garde two-person play. As is, “Love Me” is one of those big swings that mostly misses. I’ve sat through more painful sci-fi/apocalyptic films, romances and sci-fi/apocalyptic romances. But this one is too hokey and flat to truly admire. And it doesn’t hide its major attempts to make you… well… love it.
LCJ GRADE: D+
Running Time: 92 min.