In Like Sunday, Like Rain, a lonely teenager finds good company with sympathetic nanny.
Eleanor, played by Leighton Meester, has had more than enough of her struggling musician boyfriend’s philandering ways. Billie Joe Armstrong plays the boyfriend.
Eventually, there is an angry break up, and Eleanor is pushed into settling for any job available, and that means she applies to be a nanny to a wealthy young teenager.
In Manhattan with nowhere to go, Eleanor suddenly has to figure out how to survive in the city with only $160 to her name.
Thankfully, Eleanor lands the gig as a nanny, through a temp agency. They place her in a posh penthouse where she’ll be paid room and board to care for a precocious 12 year-old with preoccupied parents who are never around. In the absence of quality time with his parents, Reggie, played by Julian Shatkin, has developed into a melancholy misanthrope, whose only saving grace is that he loves to play the cello.
So how does a cash-strapped, 23 year-old au pair from a blue-collar background relate to a spoiled-rotten rich musical prodigy? This dilemma is the driving force behind Like Sunday, Like Rain, an unlikely-buddies drama reminiscent of Harold and Maude, from back in 1971.
Written and directed by Frank Whaley (New York City Serenade), the character-driven coming-of-age flick is obviously very dependent on the generation of chemistry between the leads. Fortunately, co-stars Leighton Meester and Julian Shatkin both prove capable and convincing in this regard.
Given his folks’ conspicuous absence, initially-reluctant Reggie is essentially afforded free rein to roam around New York on an unlimited budget, and obliging Eleanor wins his trust by letting him skip day camp and scheduled play dates. He hangs with her instead, and the two gradually bond while visiting museums, dining in fancy restaurants, and even renting a hotel room.
This is a tenderhearted lesson in how friendship can be forged in spite of a great gulf in age, class and I.Q.
Like Sunday, Like Rain
Very Good (3 stars)
Rated R for profanity
Running time: 104 minutes
Distributor: Monterey Media
Watch the Like Sunday, Like Rain trailer:
