I wasn't sure what to expect of this movie, especially since it had a $0 budget. Many indie movies with small budgets tend to lack cinematic beauty , or employ actors with little talent. This movie was not one of those . Amberlie Bankoff, the film's cinematographer, managed to turn the entire movie into a golden-era-of-Hollywood, pre- 1950's style film.
It's the kind of movie you could watch on mute and still be entertained by . Not that you necessarily want to do that, since the actual content of the movie is quite funny and entertaining itself. Director/Writer Mike Cuenca turned what could have been a confusing concept ( a guy with memory distrust symptoms recollecting past and present moments) , into an hour and a half long dry comedy that kept me and everyone around me laughing throughout. Joey Halter, who plays the title's lead character, Jerry Powell, had a breakout performance in what seems to be his first feature film role. Seeming like a seasoned comic, Halter hit every one-liner ( there were more than I could count) with perfect timing, and his dead-pan facial expression's reminded me of a young Buster Keaton. Jerry has an on-again-off-again girlfriend, Donna (played by Brittany Samson), and their relationship dynamic are somewhat reminiscent of that between Vincent Gallo and Christina Ricci in Buffalo 66. Samson nails the clingy, annoying Jersey girlfriend, and Halter (who somewhat looks like Gallo) was born, it seems, to be the hot/cold, lovable creep. Although Jerry's relationship with Donna is quite interesting,it's the friendship between him and Fritz ( played by Paul Elia) that really keeps this movie on its feet. Halter and Elia's on screen chemistry could easily be compared to that of Abbott and Costello, albeit more dysfunctional and demented. Their back and forth banter is flawless, and Elia's "straight man" take on Fritz is what keeps Jerry grounded, allowing Halter to drift off into comedic babble without losing us completely.
The beauty of this movie is that every character was cast perfectly, even though there was no money to pay anyone. Julie Pepin, who plays Jerry's sister, was completely convincing as the psychic-cum-therapist, and with just a few lines managed to weave sense of Jerry's entire tale, while Dan Rojay, Jacquelinne Cingolani, and Zach Block, who play a band of money- laundering crooks, managed to inject action and excitement, as well as a simple plot-line into the whole shebang.
All in all, Jerry Powell & the Delusions of Grandeur is one hell of a movie. What it lacks for in a continuous plot, it more than makes up for with character, humor, and cinematic artistry. It's the kind of movie you can watch over and over again, each time finding something new to be entertained by.
It's the kind of movie you could watch on mute and still be entertained by . Not that you necessarily want to do that, since the actual content of the movie is quite funny and entertaining itself. Director/Writer Mike Cuenca turned what could have been a confusing concept ( a guy with memory distrust symptoms recollecting past and present moments) , into an hour and a half long dry comedy that kept me and everyone around me laughing throughout. Joey Halter, who plays the title's lead character, Jerry Powell, had a breakout performance in what seems to be his first feature film role. Seeming like a seasoned comic, Halter hit every one-liner ( there were more than I could count) with perfect timing, and his dead-pan facial expression's reminded me of a young Buster Keaton. Jerry has an on-again-off-again girlfriend, Donna (played by Brittany Samson), and their relationship dynamic are somewhat reminiscent of that between Vincent Gallo and Christina Ricci in Buffalo 66. Samson nails the clingy, annoying Jersey girlfriend, and Halter (who somewhat looks like Gallo) was born, it seems, to be the hot/cold, lovable creep. Although Jerry's relationship with Donna is quite interesting,it's the friendship between him and Fritz ( played by Paul Elia) that really keeps this movie on its feet. Halter and Elia's on screen chemistry could easily be compared to that of Abbott and Costello, albeit more dysfunctional and demented. Their back and forth banter is flawless, and Elia's "straight man" take on Fritz is what keeps Jerry grounded, allowing Halter to drift off into comedic babble without losing us completely.
The beauty of this movie is that every character was cast perfectly, even though there was no money to pay anyone. Julie Pepin, who plays Jerry's sister, was completely convincing as the psychic-cum-therapist, and with just a few lines managed to weave sense of Jerry's entire tale, while Dan Rojay, Jacquelinne Cingolani, and Zach Block, who play a band of money- laundering crooks, managed to inject action and excitement, as well as a simple plot-line into the whole shebang.
All in all, Jerry Powell & the Delusions of Grandeur is one hell of a movie. What it lacks for in a continuous plot, it more than makes up for with character, humor, and cinematic artistry. It's the kind of movie you can watch over and over again, each time finding something new to be entertained by.
