FANTASY LIFE (2025)

Starring Amanda Peet, Matthew Shear, Alessandro Nivola, Judd Hirsch, Bob Balaban, Andrea Martin, Zosia Mamet, Jessica Harper, Holland Taylor, Sheng Wang, Sophie von Haselberg, Romy Fay, Callie Santoro, Riley Binson, Alana Raquel Bowers, Julie Claire Kessler, Roberta Colindrez, Robert Emmet Lunney, Max Ryan Burach, Marcia DeBonis and Isabella Werber.

Screenplay by Matthew Shear.

Directed by Matthew Shear.

Distributed by Greenwich Entertainment. 91 minutes. Rated R.

I have seen Fantasy Life referred to as a romantic comedy, but it really isn’t that at all. It’s not a love story – there is just one short kiss, and both people know there is really little chance of anything romantic happening, although one of them does have an obvious crush on the other. And, honestly, it’s never exactly a laugh-out-loud comedy – although it does have some very funny parts.

It’s more of a drama about a friendship between two very adrift and neurotic people, who lean on each other in a world which doesn’t usually seem to make much sense and in which they are both reeling.

That’s okay, of course. Fantasy Life is a pretty fascinating story despite the fact that it’s not just some cheesy romance. In fact, it’s interesting probably because it is not a simple love story. Life is rarely simple, so why should relationships be? And can’t you love someone without necessarily being in love with them?

This is the theory posited by actor, writer, director and comedian Matthew Shear in his debut behind the camera. His character of Sam Stein is horribly messed up and conflicted about life, his career and his Judaism. (An early discussion with his therapist [Judd Hirsch] shows a shocking bit of self-loathing towards the religion, an issue that is only glancingly revisited later in the film.)

Sam’s life is a mess. His neuroses, a recent breakup and his need for meds have caused him to drop out of a promising stint in law school. Now he’s completely unmoored, living with his parents, going regularly for therapy and looking for a new purpose.

He impulsively takes a job as the live-in “Manny” taking care of three young daughters for a guy who used to babysit him as a child. (Interestingly, the job was suggested by the mother of the guy, who was the wife and office manager of Sam’s psychologist, so she knew all about Sam’s issues before suggesting him as caretaker for her grandchildren.)

The old babysitter is David (Alessandro Nivola), a gigging musician who has recently gotten a big break as part of the international touring band for Warren Hayes of Gov’t Mule. It’s a killer gig for David, but it keeps him on the road almost constantly. And it is causing stress on his already shaky marriage.

His wife is Dianne (Amanda Peet), who is an actress who a couple of decades ago flirted with superstardom. However, like so many beautiful actresses of a certain age (52, to be exact), the roles aren’t exactly pouring in anymore. Dianne is having an identity crisis herself, feeling forgotten, neglected and well past her prime. She starts becoming close with Sam, mostly because he’s always there. You never really feel that Dianne is in love with Sam, but she is charmed that he is a man who still pays attention to her.

Despite the fact that Fantasy Life is Matthew Shear’s movie, the truth is that it is really very much the property of Amanda Peet. Peet is a fantastic, charismatic actress who like her character has been sort of sidelined in recent years in supporting roles as wives and mothers. And while this character is also a wife and mother, it is also so much more. It’s the first real lead role Peet has gotten in at least a decade, and she makes the absolute most of it.

The rest is very good, with fun supporting roles by a stacked cast of aging character actors like Judd Hirsch, Andrea Martin, Bob Balaban, Jessica Harper, Zosia Mamet and Holland Taylor. But it is Amanda Peet’s performance which makes Fantasy Life necessary viewing.  

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©2026 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: March 27, 2026.