Noel Wells excels in her directorial debut in Mr. Roosevelt. I was unfamiliar with Wells' work until viewing this film despite her work on SNL. While directing, she also plays the lead role of Emily Martin who left her home and boyfriend to pursue comedy in Los Angeles. Emily is a struggling comedian who must quickly return home as her cat, Mr. Roosevelt, is dying. While in Austin, she stays with her ex-boyfriend and his girlfriend. The perfect set up for this comedy. Over the course of the movie, Emily learns much about the life she left behind and her own self. Throughout the film the viewer is dealt with awkward situations followed by Wells' quick witted humor. She has a lot of silly habits that I can relate with that make this movie more enjoyable. If you're into indie films put together by striving and thriving artists, Mr. Roosevelt is worth your viewing.

I liked the way this film pushes back against the prevailing indie wisdom that anyone with a smidge of artistic talent just needs to follow their dreams until they catch them... The script may seem flimsy at times (maybe one too many chance meetings, even for a small college town?), but the setup's quite ingenious: UT Austin grad Emily's leading the dreary life of an aspiring sketch comic in LA when the cat she left behind with her ex gets sick. Back in Austin, things have changed: her ex, a struggling rock guitarist, is hoping to get his real-estate license; his new S.O.'s a stylish, code-writing "entrepreneur," and the remnants of Emily's old life have been consigned to a backyard shed. At dinner with the couple and their bougie friends, Emily has a serious meltdown. Suffice it to say that it takes her a while to resolve all her issues... Richard Linklater fans will enjoy the scenes set in historic weird Austin; Daniella Pineda stands out as a kickass rock drummer/waitress.

So this is a film about a lady who leaves without notice her boyfriend and her cat behind as she relocates across country. Months maybe a year later she gets news her cat passed away, so she travels back across country to pay her condolences to a cat she ditched and left behind.. Like seriously, she left the cat behind.. why would she pay for a plane ticket and be all crazy about this cat? Completely pointless not to mention she is a bit more annoying than funny. Not sure how it won awards. Mainly watched it to see how a self wrote/directed film would work while playing the lead role. Id have to say Tommy Wiseau did a much better job with the Room, even though that's terrible. At least there were some good boob shots.

Mr. Roosevelt is about a struggling comedian, Emily Martin played by Noel Wells, who returns home to care for her sick cat, Mr. Roosevelt. I gotta say, Mr. Roosevelt is a great name for a cat. Even better, his first name is Teddy. She is forced to stay with her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend. Some good and bad times follow, and as usually happens in this sort of movie, she learns something about herself. Wells is also writer and director of Mr. Roosevelt. Wells is new to me, and I didn't know she was on SNL, and on Master of None, which I haven't watched . She is funny and likable. She gets her shtick in throughout Mr. Roosevelt. I can't say I'm a fan of her silly voices. I do love how she takes her generation to task. I kinda like Mr. Roosevelt and I kinda like Noel Wells. The movie was pretty good and it was pretty funny, and you'll see a young and funny woman shaping her craft or her craft shaping her, or whatever. But I don't think I want to see anymore movies about struggling comedians (or actors, or musicians), especially ones played by struggling comedians (or actors, or musicians).