Jack Goes Boating

We live in an age where it is acceptable for a man to not only enjoy a romantic comedy but to openly admit it. This is a leap in social perspective and one reason why the genre continues to flourish and evolve. As part of this the rom-com it beginning to expand from the traditional percepts to allow the film makers greater latitude not only in how they tell a story but more importantly what types of stories can be told. One variation that is beginning to manifest itself is the alteration of the perspective of the story. Traditionally this is from a female point of view making the rom-com the prototypical ‘chick flick’. The thing is romance can be shown from a multitude of vantage points and in the oddly named little independent movie, ‘Frank Goes Boating’ we see that men can hold the primary focus of such a film without becoming as self parody or farce. In fact this film is just the kind of story that deserves to be told but inevitably would not hold the profitable potential to garner the interest of a major studio. Fortunately, this is precisely the kind of film that makes it to the eclectic distribution list of Starz/Anchor Bay. There release of the film on DVD and Blu-ray will not displace ‘Avatar’ from the top sales list but for the discerning coinsurer of romantic comedies and Indy flicks this title is bound to hold a place in your collection. It proves that what matters most in a film is the story; how it is constructed and how it is told. There are no rapid paced chases to be found here, no huge, sub woofer rattling explosions and no creatures from the wonderment of imagination. You will find in this work a sense of humanity with honest emotional responses depicted by believable characters.

The film is based on the stage play authored by Robert Glaudini. Although this is his first time as a writer if you are the type to stay after a film to read the full list of credits his name will certainly be familiar to you. He has been a hard working character actor for many years with featured roles in a diversified selection of movies running the gamut from the intensely dramatic ‘Mississippi Burning’ the delightfully frivolous ‘Princess Diaries’. Bringing his vision both to the stage and eventually this film is another character actor who has successfully made the transition to leading man, Philip Seymour Hoffman. After a remarkable list of film credits Hoffman is moving behind the camera to begin what is sure to be an interesting career as a director. Over many years of watching movies I have noticed some of the most talented members of the industry are the character actors. These rarely lauded performers are frequently the ones that breathe life into a production. While the stars are the ones that garner the lion’s share of the attention, and largest salaries, it is the character actor who has to set the stage with his presentation of the colorful characters that often make the flick. Because this type of actor has to be a chameleon change radically with every role they undertake they are one of the most dedicated and observant students of the human condition around. I have spoken with several actors in the niche of the acting world and they all readily admit to spending much of their spare time just watching people; absorbing quirks, nuances and subtle characteristics they will late infuse into their own performances.

The cast of this film previous presented the stage version of the story and work together as Hoffman’s theater troupe, LAByrinth. It helps a lot when you get a group of talent artists like this to band together with the common goal of honing their crafts. My late wife and I spent many an enjoyable time going to off-Broadway productions very similar to what is presented here. This is a quiet film exceptionally well crafted with care and attention to detail. The titular Jack is a regular sort of guy working as a limousine driver in New York City who is caught in a common predicament; he is lonely, in dire need of feminine companionship yet unable to make the leap to entering into a relationship. In a role that Hoffman wears like a comfortable pair of jeans he reaches out to the audience on an emotionally honest gut level. His best friend and fellow driver Clyde (John Ortiz) and Clyde's wife, Lucy (Daphne Rubin-Vega) are moved by his plight and decide to play matchmaker. The intended setup for Jack is Connie (Amy Ryan). She is employed at a local funeral home in a field that Clyde presents to Jack as ‘assistant embalmer or something to do with fluids’. Jack is just anxious enough that such a description does not result with him declining the offer. As it turns out the fluids Connie encounters on the job are the primary concern for Jack; she wants to go boating, specifically in Central Park. Right there this film struck a chord with me on a personal level. Many guys who came of age in New York City have at one time or another attempted to win the affections of the fairer gender with a romantic ride in a Central Park or Flushing Meadow row boat. These crafts seem to be the perfect, intimate setting but the reality is often far removed from those hopes. For the lamentable Jack this request sets into play a series of series of events and circumstances that are woven together to create this film. First of all it is off to a public pool uptown for the prudent measure of learning to swim. Te movie perfectly captures the extent regular guys put themselves through just for a few hours next to a woman.

Jack is not a handsome leading man type. He never experienced what it is to be the object of desire; he is like any guy sitting in the theater watching this flick. This has always been Hoffman’s greatest strength as an actor; getting into the skin of a regular guy forming a strong bond with the audience. Some actors gain fame by playing the roles of characters we dream of being, Hoffman rose in his field playing us on the screen. While he took home the coveted Academy Award for Best Actor for his flamboyant part of Truman Capote the foundation for that golden man were roles like this; quite with an effect that will stay with you a long time after those closing credits.

Posted 01/06/11