Rachel (Kathryn Hahn) is a smart but bored housewife. She has trouble connecting with her son Logan and has stopped having sex with her husband Jeff (Josh Radnor). Following her friend Stephanie (Jessica St. Clair),she takes her husband to a strip club. Jeff buys her a session in the backroom with stripper McKenna (Juno Temple). Later she tracks down McKenna and befriends her. She takes McKenna in when she runs into problems. Then she finds out that McKenna is a prostitute also. Dr. Lenore (Jane Lynch) is her unhelpful psychiatrist. Jennie (Michaela Watkins) is the bossy school mom.

There are a lot of smart funny women in this. Jill Soloway is mostly a TV writer/producer and she has written some pretty smart stuff. She doesn't really have a directorial style. Kathryn Hahn brings a naturally smart lovely vibe. There is a general oddness with the tone. It's light and cute for the first half. It's even wacky and unreal. Then it tries to go to a darker place which it hasn't earn the right to. It definitely doesn't have the realism to be believable. About an hour into the movie, it takes the turn and it feels unreal. It's almost a different movie. Having so many female comedians may actually hurt this. For example, having Jane Lynch just throws the tone to a different place.

I really expected to enjoy this more than I did. I like Kathryn Hahn and Juno Temple a lot. The problem is I didn't really like their characters or care what happens to them. I didn't like anybody in this movie except Jessica St. Clair. To be fair, her character should come with a halo given how perfect she seems contrasted with every other flaw-ridden woman in the movie. I will lay most of the blame for the unlikable characters on director/writer Jill Soloway's script. The actors are all good and do their best with the material given.

For those who don't know already, it's not a comedy like it has been advertised. It's a drama with a few bits of comedy here and there, mostly early on. While I didn't watch the movie for the feminist themes, I could see where others might. On that front, it seems the movie disappoints pretty severely. I was kind of taken aback at where the story goes and was left scratching my head about the possible implications. Anyway, I'm trying to be fair with my score. Obviously I'm not part of the demographic this movie is aimed at and I didn't relate to any of these characters' problems. I'm not a self-involved rich housewife or a prostitute. If you're either of those then you might grade this film higher.

AFTERNOON DELIGHT (2013) *** Kathryn Hahn, Juno Temple, Josh Radnor, Jane Lynch, Jessica St. Clair, Michaela Watkins, Josh Stamberg, John Kapelos, Keegan Michael Key, Annie Mumolo, Suzy Nakamura, Noah Harpster, Eugene Cordero, Sawyer Ever. Funny and heart-felt domestic comedy about a listless LA housewife (Hahn, finally being showcased as a comic lead to her full potential) who finds herself in an unlikely friendship with a young exotic dancer (Temple) that she enlists as some sort of self-help project by inviting her to her family's home as a guest. Filmmaker Jill Soloway mixes the acerbic bitter with the sublime sweet with spot-on dialogue and a decent ensemble cast but wisely focuses on her odd coupling of her diverse costars that imbues humility and heartbreak.