Rachel (Hannah Pearl Utt) and Jackie (Jen Tullock) are a pair of sisters living in New York. Their father is Mel Gurner (Mandy Patinkin), an acclaimed actor and playwright who has unfortunately reached a creative impasse with his latest work, and despite being regarded as quite a genius, his audience (or what remains of it), don’t seem to agree with the direction his work is taking. Rachel and Jackie also, after an unfortunate incident, discover that their mother, who that had previously thought died in their childhood, is actually still alive, and working under the assumed name Sherrell Ghearhardt (Judith Light), known for her tenure as the matriarch in a highly popular soap opera. The sisters, realizing that they have to strike up a relationship with the woman who abandoned them due to the fact that she is the co-owner of the building they live and work out of, find themselves conflicted and without any direction, and forced into a friendship with someone who had apparently left them behind to pursue her own ambitions, never taking the effort to connect with them throughout their lives. This only complicates the lives of the two women, with other problems compounding, like Jackie’s teenage daughter Dodge (Oona Yaffe) starting to grow up and realize that her mother is not particularly good at having any responsibility, and the growing debt incurred by Mel, which the daughters are left to deal with, in the hopes that not only can they resolve these problems through connecting with Sherrell, but also satisfy their father’s wish to perform the play he’s put so much effort into.

Before You Know It is a film very few people seem to have seen, which is a shame, considering how it’s such a delightfully irreverent comedy that hearkens back to some of the greatest New York-based comedies, being similar to the early work of people like Woody Allen, Mike Nicholas and Paul Mazursky, especially in how it takes a very simple story and explores the depths of the human condition through humour and pathos, never aiming to be particularly original, but also being quite idiosyncratic in its own way. The directorial debut of star and co-writer Hannah Pearl Utt, Before You Know It is a small but memorable descent into the life of an ordinary family trying to make their way through a world they can’t quite comprehend or understand, due to their inability to navigate even the most simple of problems, which sets the film up as an endearing series of misadventures that contains some terrific performances, both from newcomers and veterans, a script that overcomes some problems often associated with debut works with a lot of soul, and a great sense of humour that gives the film a great deal of warmth that allows it to be somewhat derivative, but extremely charming, especially taken for what it is. Films like Before You Know It don’t ever strive to be more than they actually are – they’re comfortable enough in the niche of intellectual New York comedies, and while it doesn’t do anything differently, it takes a set of common conventions and revitalizes it in a way that is expected but thoroughly entertaining.

Like any character-based film, Before You Know It is almost fully reliant on the work done by the actors. Utt and Tullock, mainstays of the alternative independent comedy industry, cast themselves in the leading roles and give compelling performances that thrive specifically because they infuse their characters with a sense of familiarity that would’ve been lost had they given the roles to more well-known performers, who may have been more recognizable, but most likely would not have been able to explore these protagonists with such depth. It takes a film like Before You Know It to establish people like Utt and Tullock as stars because while it isn’t particularly challenging work, they’re both so effortlessly charming, it should get the attention of an industry that would benefit from their eclectic talents. Utt, in particular, commands the film, playing the role of Rachel with such quiet ferocity, and single-handedly being the emotional core of the film, solely through her unwavering dedication to playing down a character that could’ve so easily been a bundle of tics. Judith Light and Mandy Patinkin, two iconic veterans that have captivated audiences through stage and screen, playing supporting roles in the film, and prove why they’re so beloved. Patinkin is given the rare late-career role that supports not only his immense talents but also the comedic timing he exhibited earlier in his career. He may only have a handful of scenes, but he’s exceptional, playing the role of Mel with a blend of pathos and outrageous humour, it’s not difficult to see why he’s so well-regarded, and a true legend. Light also gets the role she deserves as the fading soap opera actress, playing the role of Sherrell, a character that would normally be nothing more than a caricature, with the elegance that she’s come to be known for. Utt and Tullock (and Yaffe, even though she isn’t given all that much to do, in the role of the teenager on the precipice of undergoing the process of maturing) may ground the film, but its Patinkin and Light that allow it to soar, with their humour and grace being vital assets to the story.

Based on the premise, you’d be lead to believe that Before You Know It is a film that doesn’t have much to offer outside of the performances – it is ultimately just a well-meaning comedy about a family trying to make sense of a confusing situation. In all honesty, this is exactly what the film is, and it never tries to break out of this structure. However, it doesn’t need to, because what Utt does with a relatively simple storyline is use it as a facilitator for some interesting discussions on bigger issues. The film has the humour of some of the great New York-based comedies (and features a very adequate intelligence that we’d expect from a film about these kinds of characters), and the warmth of a truly compelling family drama, where the issues the film evokes, namely reconnecting with lost family members, and finding your way in a world that just doesn’t seem familiar to you at all, is this film’s biggest strength. Before You Know It is a very simple film, but one that does everything it can to be memorable without resorting to even a moment of inauthenticity. It does bear some of the shortcomings we can expect from a directorial debut – it runs a bit longer than it should, and it seems to leave out pivotal plot points that would’ve allowed for a clearer sense of lucidity in what the film was trying to say (such as Mike Colter’s character, a friendly accountant hired to assist the sisters in managing the debt, but suddenly takes on the role of a surrogate father to Dodge without any context), but it’s ultimately an excellent example of heartfelt filmmaking that approaches its subject with a sense of affection, the kind very often missing in more notable films.

Before You Know It is a gem of a film – it doesn’t stand out, specifically because there is nothing to this film that we haven’t seen before. We can accuse it of being derivative or predictable (which it certainly is), or of compressing trauma into a series of misadventures for the sake of comedy (which it definitely does). However, we can also praise the film for being as soulful an expression of the meaning of family as any, and an endearing example of representing the idiosyncrasies of family with tact and enthusiasm, and where the humour is derived from very human situations, rather than manufactured jokes that misrepresent the true nature of family. It’s difficult to determine where Before You Know It will lead – it’s a very promising debut, but one that has been almost entirely overlooked, particularly because its not something that necessarily stands out all that prominently. However, it’s unlikely that a great talent like Hannah Pearl Utt, as both a director and actress, will remain obscure for long. Her work here is very strong, particularly in how she balances the theme of family in contrast to the feminist subtext, such as in how she represents the female as in a way that feels earnest without being overwhelming. Before You Know It is a tremendously charming film and works the best if we consider it just a brief but memorable excursion into the lives of a set of characters who have tragically underestimated their situation, and how have to endure it, with hilarity occasionally ensuing, but also some profound statements on the importance of family, sisterhood and loyalty. It’s a very sweet film and one that should be more widely-viewed because it represents another memorable entry into the canon of great independent comedies that do the very best with what they are given and turn paltry material into seriously impressive storytelling.