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It opens with a crime scene: Jason (James Gallanders) is about to rob a till in a small shop. His girlfriend Lisa (Megan Follows) drives the car to enable him to escape quickly. Clear this is a procedure they follow regularly and Jason is the one in charge. It’s not a huge amount that he steals, but he evidently gets a kick out of the risk as well as some cash. It’s 25 years ago, and in small-town America, so there weren’t any security cameras.
At the same time we see Donald (Jaimz Woolvett) staggering drunkenly along a bridge over the highway, then climbing on the railings, looking as if he’s about to jump. He’s pulled down by someone apparently passing by and then finds himself on the street where Lisa is driving. She can’t avoid him, but does what she can, and then spends a lot of effort trying to get him back to his home…
It’s quite a complex storyline but although I prefer something more straightforward, I didn’t have much trouble understanding. Jason is an unpleasantly manipulative crook who cares for nobody but himself; he has the surface charm of a classic narcissist, and likes to take risks with other people as well as himself. When he feels he’s been wronged, his revenge is unpleasant, made worse by his finding it amusing.
Donald, by contrast, is a likeable person who tries to right every wrong he sees by typing letters to organisations and politicians. He feeds pigeons, and mends toasters for people to buy at garage sales. But he’s also filled with angst, wanting to have some value in the world, and convinced he is worthless.
As for Lisa - her dream is to get her paintings displayed in an art gallery. She’s passionate about art although she seems to be in a bit of a blocked phase; Jason is supposed to be her manager, but he has not yet fulfilled any of his promises to her. His sister Clara (Anne Marie DeLuise) manages an art gallery but the two do not get on at all, and on principle she isn’t going to do him any favours.
So there’s an interesting set of characters, all the more so as Donald is convinced that Lisa is his guardian angel. She tells him her name is Cheryl, and they seem to have a good rapport. The contrast between the two men and their influence on her is strong, and it makes for an interesting tension; all the more so when her desires as an artist contradict her desires as a human.
I wouldn’t have called it a comedy, although there are a few amusing moments that made us smile. It’s caricatured, of course, but with a lot that’s thought-provoking too. Revelations about the childhood of each of the three main characters are contrasted, as are the directions they have taken in life. Lisa/Cheryl and Donald realise they can help each other, but she can’t quite get Jason out of her life…
The pace is quite fast, and while it’s not the kind of film I would usually like, with a fair bit of strong language and rapid action, I found myself absorbed in the story. I disliked Jason more and more as the film progressed. I’m not sure I ever really clicked with Donald, who also seems oddly self-obsessed despite his altruism. I liked the way the story progresses as he begins to take charge of his life.
The acting is good, the film nicely produced and directed, and there are some quite poignant scenes including one involving dancing. The rating is 15 which I think is about right, given the amount of language used and the clear intimations of sexuality, even though nothing explicit is shown. Donald’s depression and attempts to take his life are somewhat sordid, too; I don’t find that a good topic for comedy, even though things (inevitably) work out better for him as the film progresses.
I’m glad we watched it, and it’s gone on our DVD shelves to see again at some point, rather than being donated back to the charity shop. Recommended if you like a relatively light action film with an unusual storyline, and one or two unexpected turns towards the end.
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