The Land of Steady Habits is a 2018 American comedy-drama film written, directed and co-produced by Nicole Holofcener and based on the novel of the same name by Ted Thompson. It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2018, and was released on September 14, 2018, by Netflix.
Plot
Anders Hill has recently divorced Helene, early retired from a job in finance, and is having a difficult time coping. Preston, his adult son, is a recovering drug addict who lives with Helene in the family home. Preston, who graduated from Northwestern University, is now working as a reading specialist with his mother, who got him the job.
Anders still loves his ex, despite sleeping around since the divorce. He shows up at the annual Christmas party she co-hosts with Sophie Ashford, their neighbor. Feeling isolated, he goes outside and joins Sophie and Mitchell's son, Charlie, and some of his friends. Urged to smoke from a bong, he is surprised to find out that the pot is laced with PCP. Charlie overdoses and is taken to the hospital. Anders tells his therapist that he smoked drugs with Charlie at the party, and is taken aback to hear that his therapist was also in attendance.
Still the legal owner of the house he has left to Helene, he's responsible for the mortgage. Six months behind on payments, he realizes that he cannot afford to retire and pay off the house. Anders asks a friend for a loan, who takes him to a strip club where he meets Barbara. Anders and Barbara hit it off and share a cab.
Anders gives his old address, being drunk, entering his old house with his key, upsetting Helene, Preston, and Helene's boyfriend Donny. She is later forced to fire Preston after he takes money from a student for a poker game. Preston tells her that Anders can't pay the mortgage.
Days later, Preston stops by Anders' condo to reveal he has a delivery job but is homeless because Helene kicked him out. Anders tells him he can't stay either, and to grow up. Charlie later visits Anders, telling him he has escaped to avoid rehab and asks him to look after his pet turtle. Anders initially threatens to call Charlie's parents, but they instead go to Charlie's "clubhouse". At first, they do drugs while Charlie tells him about his graphic novel on Laika. Anders decides to take him home, but he escapes.
Preston delivers wine to a former classmate who owns a large home and is expecting his first child. After insulting him, he leaves and finds his car broken down. Unable to finish his deliveries, he calls a tow truck that drops him off near the train tracks. Preston contemplates drinking a large bottle of champagne, but instead places it in front of an oncoming train. On the way back to his Jeep, Preston discovers Charlie's corpse behind a tree.
Charlie's death causes Preston to be welcomed back into Helene's home. On Christmas Eve, when the Hills and Ashfords traditionally celebrate dinner together, Preston finds his Dad in a hotel room and convinces him to come for dinner. Over dinner, Anders reveals that he and Charlie took drugs together. This motivates Sophie to tell him that Helene had been cheating on him for two years. Mitchell then attacks Anders, stubbing out his cigar in the middle of Anders' forehead.
A few months later, Helene has sold the house while she and Donny plan their wedding in Hawaii. Preston has decided to attend graduate school in New York City and gets his own apartment. Anders, continuing to date Barbara, is settling into retired life and is looking after Charlie's turtle.
Cast
Ben Mendelsohn as Anders Harris, Helene's ex-husband, Preston's father, Barbara's love interest.
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 83% based on 41 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With typically sharp work from writer-director Nicole Holofcener and finely layered performances, The Land of Steady Habits is one mid-life crisis worth watching."[9] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 71 out 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[10]
