Hey folks, Harry here with Tom Joad's report on NEVER AGAIN the film that Quint interviewed Jeffrey Tambor about, and ya know folks... from the intense passion people seem to talk about this film, I'm expecting for it to be riveting... I can't wait... Here's Tom Joad...
NEVER AGAIN
Tom Joad here, and as I tend to do now and again, I've been campin' out in my jalopy. This time in Ausin, for my fourth consecutive South by Southwest Film Festival, and pardners lemme tell you what: I typically file my reports in the order that I watch them, but tonight I saw a film that must not wait to be talked about. I saw Eric Shaeffer's NEVER AGAIN: And it kicked my ass.
There are some scenes in movies that NEVER work for me. Take sex scenes, for example. No matter who shot the scene and who lit it, it's all I can do not to imagine the extra crew members crowding the set, hovering just inches outside the edges of the visible frame. By and large, they are not convincing. They are not moving. I'm unable to think of one single sex scene that's actually arousing. And I'm hard pressed to name the last romantic film that really hooked me, until now.
I've been a fan and follower of Eric Shaeffer since I saw his first film MY LIFE'S IN TURNAROUND on video about five years ago. I really dug his second feature IF LUCY FELL, and Eric proved to be a very consistent filmmaker who had not failed me yet. But tonight he blew me away. Eric's hand at both writing and directing has improved dramatically over the last decade. Throughout the course of this film, I could not help but feel that Eric had graduated to the the next level. Not only can he do it, but he can do it damn well. I don't think it will be long before we're seeing his name attached to films with larger budgets (Although until then, he's my newest champion of independent film!)
Shaeffer's script is so smooth, his dialogue so convincing, he just makes it seem effortless. His honest writing makes it easy to get lost in the characters, you're not reminded every so often that you're hearing a script as lines occasionally fall flat as an actor will deliver a bit of unrealistic dialogue. Not here. Eric has cast Jeffrey Tambor and Jill Clayburgh so perfectly, I imagine he'll have every casting agent in town wondering how in the world they've missed this matchup - these two have got terrific chemistry and their characters share a similar outlook on love that complements each of their performances, always allowing you to see a little deeper than the surface.
The film features both Tambor and Clayburgh in roles that have them each as single fifty-four year olds who have sworn, "Never again. Never to fall in love again." And so the story unfolds as the natural progression begins. The script is never idle as Eric is always one-upping himself. Jill has some of the funniest scenes, featuring some outrageous gags that had me laughing so hard I was missing dialogue. Eric has a fantastic way of writing his comic scenes where they continue to build, each laugh surpassing the last until you're - well, at least I - was wishing I was able to rewind and watch scenes again and again.
That's the beauty of this movie: one minute you're laughing and the next you're sucking back tears. Such a rollercoaster of emotions is rare in the way that you never feel like you're being manipulated. Everything on screen here just felt so honest and heartfelt. All too often, my folks will ask me what I've seen recently that's good. I'll rattle off a quick list to myself, trying to identify with their tastes. Since my mom was an actual nun in her college years, that often makes for difficult movies recommendations.
But this is one film that I cannot wait for them to see. There are two more screening before the week is out, on Tuesday the 13th, it plays at the convention center at 10PM and again on Friday the 16th at 5PM. I cannot stress enough how much you're going to enjoy this film. Please catch it. Mark my words.
Tom Joad
