Ray Wentworth (Bob Odenkirk) is an alcoholic, divorced, out of work greeting card writer who has been unable to write anything of note since his wife left him for the guy who writes ‘Optimistic Owl’ cards. But when the greeting card world manages to coerce the state of California to create a new holiday he is brought back to write the ultimate romance card. 

Girlfriend’s Day is an incredibly peculiar film. The conceit is to take the world of greeting card writers and immerse this seemingly bright and cheery world into a dark and seedy film noir. Imagine that Bob Odenkirk is a Humphrey Bogart type who is embroiled in a conspiracy where rival card companies are fighting to have the best ever card for the inaugural Girlfriend’s Day and you will be some way to the idea of it. 

The issue is it is not nearly as funny or as ridiculous as it could be. Nor is it scary. I kept thinking of The Big Lebowski as perhaps what it was aiming for but not getting even close to. 

Bob Odenkirk is of course as committed and as interesting as he always is delivering the sort of dead pan performance you would expect from a man who co-wrote and produced the film. But he is infinitely better in the likes of Better Call Saul or Nobody. 

Only for the incredibly curious.