When it was revealed that Maude Apatow (daughter of filmmaker Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann) had helmed her first feature film, and one that starred the likes of Cooper Hoffman (son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Nico Parker (daughter of actress Thandiwe Newton and filmmaker Ol Parker) to boot, the “nepo baby” privilege accusations flew thick and fast. And this was all before the film had even been screened.
And sure, it’s easy to travel that route with the mention of the cast and crew’s industry connections, but it shouldn’t negate the effort all have put in to their work in Poetic License, a bombastically funny, surprisingly complex comedy that only works because those involved are actually talented on their own accord.
Affording Mann one of her meatiest roles in years – and one that celebrates her desirability for even better measure – the comedically reliable actress leads the charge as Liz, a 50-something at a crossroads in her life. She’s moved to a new college town to support her husband’s (Method Man) new professor job, but her career as a therapist has come to an abrupt end. As well, the particularly close relationship she has with her teen daughter, Dora (Parker), is under threat as she’s looking at her own college options and decidedly wants to hang with others her own age.
To do something for herself, Liz opts to audit a class at her husband’s college, a poetry class where she befriends Ari (Hoffman, who has never evoked the spirit of his father more) and Sam (Andrew Barth Feldman), themselves best friends who are unexpectedly quite taken with Liz. Initially, the trio form a unique friendship that she indulges, enjoying the more traditional college activities they include her in. On their end, they form feelings for her (she’s quite oblivious to this fact), and, as to be expected, the tranquility of such a dynamic only lasts so long.
Whilst on the surface Poetic License isn’t drastically altering its genre trappings, and Apatow could have likely had her pick of what to debut herself as a director with, the film proves itself as one of many moving pieces. Comedy and the subsequent drama that comes with romantic conflict within that isn’t the easiest to navigate, but Apatow has clearly learnt from her genre-familiar father (Judd, for those playing at home, has such efforts as The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Trainwreck to his name) in order to successfully maneuver the humorous and heartfelt inclinations of Raffi Donatich‘s script.
As with many films of this ilk, it’s the complexities of the relationships at bay that sell the farcical nature of what the narrative is selling, and Feldman and Hoffman are pitch-perfect in how they sell Sam and Ari as both individuals and the packaged deal they ultimately truly are. It’s so refreshing to see a healthy male friendship that, as heterosexual as it is, isn’t afraid to lean into a sense of genuine affection to drive home that these are two men that love each other outside a romantic notion. Similarly, Mann has never been better, and she’s truly why so much of Poetic License works. Another wise choice to not have her character be involved with younger men as a play on the “cougar” mentality, or that she’s trying to substitute her frustrations within her marriage with their attention, Liz merely wants to feel something again – anything, really – and she harmlessly sees their friendship as an assistance in her own life direction.
A true surprise out of TIFF this year, and a prime example of why comedy should still be favoured in the cinematic space (this absolutely killed with the crowd here), Poetic License overcomes any of its nepotism criticisms, proving itself as a genuinely well constructed comedic feature.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Poetic License screened as part of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, which ran between September 4th and 14th, 2025.
