Like You Mean It *** (2015, Philipp Karner, starring Karner, Denver Milord, Gillian Shure, Hilary Ward, Andrew Dits, Claudia Graf) – Classic Movie Review 13,947

The subtle and superior 2015 American drama film Like You Mean It stars Philipp Karner as a handsome narcissistic struggling actor facing the dying days of his long-term love with the very different, loving Jonah (Denver Milord).

The subtle and superior 2015 American drama film Like You Mean It is written and directed by Philipp Karner, and he also stars as Mark, a handsome narcissistic actor who is experiencing, or undergoing, or even inducing the dying days of his long-term romantic live-in relationship with the very different, loving Jonah (Denver Milord).

Like You Mean It (2015) is extremely well done, and heartachingly poignant. Yes, poignant it may be, but don’t look to it for warmth. The Mark character is ice cold and the film is astonishingly chilly. The performances of Philipp Karner and Denver Milord are beautifully achieved, both men ideally cast. Karner has cast himself in a role he wrote for himself, so no wonder he is perfectly cast!

Karner’s screenplay is incisive, with credible conversational dialogue. It all feels painfully real. It is not exactly cheery, or a bundle of laughs, but it involves and engrosses, engaging the emotions and brain quite deeply. The film is like the Mark character: you want to love it but it makes it very difficult. Some people are oh so easy to love. Others make it hard, maybe impossible even. But you still love them anyway. Jonah is easy to love, uncomplicated, straightforward and kind, but perversely that only seems to put Mark off.

[Spoiler alert] There is a lot of emotional pain in this film, and no happy ending either of course, though for a while it treacles you into the idea that the two men can be happy again together. They are very different, yet in some ways made for each other, but Mark just wants to throw it all away, and by the end his acting career too. He’s got nothing to replace either Jonah or his acting with. HIs dad has just died. He’s got nothing. Thanks to Philipp Karner’s acting and script, we get right inside Mark’s head (which he isn’t using) and heart (if he had one). It may not be a very attractive place, but it is a fascinating one.

The cast are Philipp Karner as Mark, Denver Milord as Jonah, Gillian Shure as Nicole, Hilary Ward as Perry, Andrew Dits as Kyle, Claudia Graf as Isabelle, Adrian Quinonez as Craig, Sheila Korsi as Eva, Scotty Crowe as Yungtseng, Kimberly Alexander as Newscaster, Kathy Deitch as Receptionist, Jason Boegh as Waiter, Clayton Bailey as Wedding Guest, Aida Lembo as Secretary, Jeff Lorch as Auditioner.

Running time: 90 minutes.

Release dates: 4 December 2015.

© Derek Winnert 2026 – Classic Movie Review 13,947

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