NY Independent Film/Video Festival LA July 2001
"LOOKING FOR JIMMY" REVIEW
By fan Ruthie C of California
(An 89 minute comedy/docu that takes place over a 24-hour period in the lives of two best friends. It begins at a Birthday BBQ for V where Al's boyfriend "Jimmy" does not show. Al proceeds to drag V away from her Birthday BBQ to scour the streets of LA "Looking for Jimmy")
A good film usually presents a major conflict to be resolved or problem to solve. However, I don't feel that was the full intent and purpose of this video "experiment" so this may not necessarily apply. The problem...to find Jimmy was not a major, overwhelming concern to anyone in the film other than Al. In fact, the audience, aside from not having seen Jimmy, is never given enough information about him, to care one way or the other. (He was supposed to bring the potato salad and granted, that did peak my interest.)
The overall theme seemed to be the portrayal of Hollywood and its inhabitants as scum to be scraped off from under one's shoe. For someone such as myself, who likes to view the world through rose colored glasses, (what you see is what you get), it is particularly hard to relate to a film portraying everyone as out to get something or to be used and abused. Here, also is another negative portrayal of men. While the two women were adamantly looking for Jimmy, (a man) they kept knocking men in general. If I were a man in the audience I wouldn't have been especially crazy about the females portrayed in this film. They weren't very far from becoming the very thing they disliked in the men they described. You are fashioned by that which you love.
Several members of the audience left early. Now, this could have been attributed to the erratic movement of the camera which caused one to be nauseous with motion sickness. One could tell from the get go this was going to be difficult to follow. Many scenes could have been eliminated. But then again, one must remember this was a "fun" project.
The dialogue seemed natural enough, but seemed garbled and often times could not be distinguished because too many people were talking over each other. Al seemed prone to incessant chatter, which was exhausting. Billy's advice to her in the desert to focus, stay calm, find inner peace and let go, were about the only sane dialogue (along with that Christrian/Zen like thought about the tree, it's beauty and it's branches). That was insightful and worth hearing. Billy's character seemed to be the only calm one out there. Otherwise, overall there wasn't much dialogue worth remembering.
Characters:
Emily Wagner's character "V" was cute, selfless and sensitive to Al's need to find Jimmy. Ok, so she took a few minutes to try and cop a deal with a music director (whatever) while Al attempts to finagle information about Jimmy. What did it hurt? After all she'd been dragged away from her own birthday party...didn't even get to have cake, if I remember correctly. Her sense of remorse and apology to Al outside the residence for doing so was sweet. Her desert dance was funny and shows she hadn't lost her sense of humor.
Julie Delpy portrays her character"Al" superbly, a shallow, transparent, self absorbed air-head with apparently no life. It does not seem logical to be driving all over L.A., checking out the contents of Jimmy's locker and asking complete strangers on the sidewalk whether they'd seen him. But, then again, Julie's character didn't appear to be logical in any sense of the word. Al does have a moment where she realizes how self absorbed and selfish she must seem while there are people at war and without on the other side of the world...but, that moment doesn't last long enough to stick.
It was unfortunate there was no Q & A after the film. I would have enjoyed hearing Ms. Delpy discuss her ideas on the characterizations and her specific take on Hollywood.
And now for the fans, last but not least, and I suppose what everyone is waiting for:
Billy Wirth: "Billy" Where do I start? Halfway through the film they call him to help them locate Jimmy. Why? I don't know. I don't recall what Billy had to do with Jimmy. If he was the last one to have seen or spoke to him or what , but apparently Billy is up for the game and says come on over. Which they do. The scene at his apartment, was too close quartered and too fast paced to figure out dialogue and what was going on.
Billy plays an actor who seems to know where all the parties are. He keeps calling Al to tell her of some party or other. However, for being such a party guy, we find him outside on the patio, away from the maddening crowd, quietly singing with a group (which we would have enjoyed hearing more of - the music seemed calmer). I had the sense that Billy Wirth and "Billy" his character were/are very similar...all part of one, but not one in the same. I believe Mr. Wirth interwove a bit of himself into the character. Just enough. In spite of the unkept character he portrays, (if you can believe Billy Wirth is unkept) there's a sweetness about him. He never once hits on the girls, he goes out of his way to help them and then he's the only one with sage advice.
Having met Billy, I have found him to be strongly grounded, focused, passionate and absorbed in his work. He appears to be quite serious, and takes what he does seriously, but at the same time has a great sense of humor and does not hesitate to laugh at himself. Therefore, I believe he played this character to the hilt. He may have been a bit nervous at having to ad-lib (the real Billy likes to be prepared) since at any given moment he did not know what to expect from these two nuts and their entourage who barge into his life and who then follow him out into the desert. Again, the most calming and memorable dialogue was what Billy says to Al in the desert.
Is the film worth seeing? Let me ask you this...is Billy Wirth worth seeing?
I met Ruth C in Taos at a MacArthur Park Screening, she recently attended the NYCFF/LA to see Looking For Jimmy. We appreciate her taking the time to do a review for the fanclub, as she notes she has met Billy so had personal knowledge of him for the comparison with the character"Billy", we hope to see her share more reviews in the future. Max
built mm 2001
Looking For Jimmy Links