James Wright First off it has to be said that the cast is stacked with good comedy actors who have all had great roles in other things, especially the two female leads. So when they are given this chance to shine with no excuse of male influence or bias it is a shame that the material itself is such a letdown.There is just nothing to this film, the story is basic and not really provocative or interesting enough to justify its creation. Unlike a film like Garden State, where the generally mundane story is balanced with directing choices that give the film a unique melancholic feel that suits these low-key themes, the director does nothing to highlight the stagnant flow of the plot. There isn't even really that much humour to pad out the barely-existent plot. Instead you just get two sisters talking in circles, while occasionally events happen around them, often with little to no provocation. You could argue that 'that's life', but even so the way it is presented is so unappealing that it has little merit as either entertainment or a think-piece.Overall this is still a movie, there is dialogue and characters and events occur over a feature length run-time, but if you watched it with the sound or screen off (or both) you wouldn't be missing much. If you want a female-orientated film that captures the trapped feeling of small town living then watch Ghost World, I don't know how all the fine elements that went into this came out so banal, but it looks like they mixed flour and water together and made paste.

dreamer-32736 I thought the script had continuous spiraling of obstacles the sisters had to face leaving room for clarity and forgiveness on both their parts and hilarity and fun for the audience. I loved every scene and thought every character had great chemistry with one another making everything rocking. Both sisters demonstrated a relatable character with distinct personalities and flaws. The beauty of the film is how they unravel one another by unraveling themselves first. I think the message really stood out to worry first about yourself before you worry too much about anyone else, even those you love, because like Martha, you may feel like what you're giving isn't enough and that the other person is ungrateful for your efforts, when really what you're trying to fulfill is a void inside of you. I laughed a lot during this movie and am purchasing it after watching it on hulu. Great work!

goolizap "Siblings can really sink each other." Not words commonly heard or realized often, but perhaps ones that can be true given particular circumstances. It's a theme that rings factual throughout this film, however unrealistic the scenarios.Addicted to Fresno follows two sisters in Shannon (Judy Greer), a seemingly recovered sex addict who has very little moral compass, and Martha (Natasha Lyonne), an eternal optimist who is always going over the top to help her sister with her issues and devotes very little attention to her own well-being. The two work as maids at a local hotel in their hometown of Fresno--a city where not much happens and the people there hate it yet can't seem to get out. Shannon's antics come to a nadir when she accidentally kills a man. She and her sister attempt to escape the mess, which will prove to either help or harm their already rocky relationship.It's definitely an anti-sibling movie--or at least it wants to be. I think mainly it strives to show us that the world is not as black and white as we have been brought up believing. Society tells us that as long as we hold on to family we'll be okay in the end. But sometimes they're the ones holding us back.The small town trope plays on the whole "being held back" theme. The girls are two complete opposite personalities, yet they both manage to become complacent in a city that doesn't offer much for either of them.The film is never hilarious, but does a good job of keeping the tone jovial throughout with some black comedy nuances and some enjoyable sequences thrown in, like a 13-year-old bar mitzvah boy performing a highly vulgar song filled with Jewish puns in front of his gasping relatives.We get some nice scenes from the supporting cast as well, including Fred Armisen as Gerald, the owner of a pet cemetery, who doesn't get nearly enough screen time, and Aubrey Plaza as Kelly, Martha's personal trainer, who gets plenty of screen time but is mostly underutilized. Solid scenes from Molly Shannon, Malcolm Barrett, and Kumail Nanjiani are mostly what make this film watchable. The timing of the two leads compliments their chemistry very well, but they are given very little in terms of laughable material. I understand that it's supposed to be somewhat of a black comedy, but it never fully commits. It's not obvious enough and most people may just chalk it up to being unfunny. The storyline is intriguing enough and I like most of the decisions that it happens to make, but if we're going to be sitting down to view a comedy we need to know what we're watching.Although a little uneven in terms of comedic tone, the laughs are there if you know where to find them. The story is one that hasn't really been told in quite this fashion before and the themes are relatable regardless of the impractical lengths of which it chooses to showcase them by. It helps that both characters are deep enough to attach ourselves to. It's not a terrible film by any means, it just speaks to a very specific crowd. And since its role as a comedy wears a bit thin, we may be tempted to dismiss the story as merely trivial.Twizard Rating: 74 **Review can also be found at http://movies.mxdwn.com/reviews/movie-review-addicted-to-fresno/

LouieInLove I was attracted to this film by the cast. Nevertheless, as so often (far too often) the cast was let down by poor storytelling.I'm not American (I spend a lot of time here with work) however even I felt patronised by the story. I found it to ooze condescension. Not for one moment do I believe any of those involved in the writing/creating of this film are from Fresno or are working class. Now! You may say that is of no importance, but it is very important, as it leaves this story shallow/soulless & soulless is the best way I can describe Addicted To Fresno. Well! Soulless & patronising.NB. When there is no love or connection to an environment in which a story is told, things will fall flat. Simply put, it's not very good. There's no cohesiveness. It's not an outright comedy (although it's cast for one) nor is it a tumbleweed tale (it lacks too much soul for that).* By "tumbleweed tale" I mean contemporary American versions of kitchen-sink dramas/comedies like Napoleon Dynamite or even Fargo.