This quirky romantic comedy is the story of Seattle resident Charlie Silvercloud (Robert A. Guthrie), a man destined to die on his twenty-fifth birthday like his father and his father's father. Both were killed by milk trucks. We meet Charlie eight days before his demise as he is trying to get his affairs in order. He breaks up with his girlfriend, purchases a funeral plot, cancels his cable, and tries to spend some quality time with his quirky mother (Dee Wallace Stone).
While prepping for death he meets Bessie (Sascha Knopf), a quirky, carefree spirit with a dark secret. Though he wants to enter the afterlife with no attachments, he finds himself falling for Bessie. We also get to spend time at Charlie's job--a coffee shop--where he is hounded by his quirky boss and quirky ex-girlfriend. In this film there are no quirks left unturned including Charlie's portly boss who will only marry a woman who knows the lyrics to every Jimi Hendrix song, including the bootlegs. (Are the lyrics that much different on the bootlegged tapes?) The movie is obviously a labor of love, but it is too quirky by half. Robert A. Guthrie is not charismatic enough to carry the film and Sascha Knopf as the quirky love interest is trying too hard. Unfortunately, the movie is also filmed in DV which is the wrong choice for many films. For claustrophobic tales, horror movies, and documentaries, DV can be a great choice. But this comedy needs air--room to breath. As quirky as this movie is, it needs sharp edges and a hyper-real presentation. DV, though, stifles the comedy and places the film firmly in our mundane universe. DV uglifies and adds authenticity to a film, which is the just the opposite of what this comedy needs.
The comedy also carries a message about not forgetting your ancestry. Charlie's father and grandfather ran away from their roots and--given the movie's conclusion--we know this is what led to their deaths. Will Charlie embrace his heritage and be saved from the sins of his fathers? The message feels shoehorned into the movie which is unfortunate because it seems to be the major point of the film.
Dee Wallace Stone gives an exuberant performance and it's always fun to see David Keith--as a quirky café customer--on the big screen, but the movie never gels. A misfire.
Read more at http://solipsisticblog.blogspot.com/.
While prepping for death he meets Bessie (Sascha Knopf), a quirky, carefree spirit with a dark secret. Though he wants to enter the afterlife with no attachments, he finds himself falling for Bessie. We also get to spend time at Charlie's job--a coffee shop--where he is hounded by his quirky boss and quirky ex-girlfriend. In this film there are no quirks left unturned including Charlie's portly boss who will only marry a woman who knows the lyrics to every Jimi Hendrix song, including the bootlegs. (Are the lyrics that much different on the bootlegged tapes?) The movie is obviously a labor of love, but it is too quirky by half. Robert A. Guthrie is not charismatic enough to carry the film and Sascha Knopf as the quirky love interest is trying too hard. Unfortunately, the movie is also filmed in DV which is the wrong choice for many films. For claustrophobic tales, horror movies, and documentaries, DV can be a great choice. But this comedy needs air--room to breath. As quirky as this movie is, it needs sharp edges and a hyper-real presentation. DV, though, stifles the comedy and places the film firmly in our mundane universe. DV uglifies and adds authenticity to a film, which is the just the opposite of what this comedy needs.
The comedy also carries a message about not forgetting your ancestry. Charlie's father and grandfather ran away from their roots and--given the movie's conclusion--we know this is what led to their deaths. Will Charlie embrace his heritage and be saved from the sins of his fathers? The message feels shoehorned into the movie which is unfortunate because it seems to be the major point of the film.
Dee Wallace Stone gives an exuberant performance and it's always fun to see David Keith--as a quirky café customer--on the big screen, but the movie never gels. A misfire.
Read more at http://solipsisticblog.blogspot.com/.