Writer-director John Huddles is clearly working out psychological issues in his debut feature, "Far Harbor", which opened exclusively Friday at New York's Quad Cinema.
In this tale of a bunch of Generation X-ers hanging during a weekend marked by emotional confrontations, the central character is a filmmaker filled with bitter resentment at the mega-director whose 120-foot yacht berthed in the town's harbor is a visual symbol of unattainable success. This unseen figure is referred to as "Mr. Spreckman", a name that was used after Steven Spielberg expressed his displeasure over the film's original title, "Mr. Spielberg's Boat".
The boat reminds the bitter young English filmmaker Frick (Edward Atterton) of his own recent failures in the movie business. He finds his friends little comfort. They include: Ellie (Jennifer Connelly), a young woman of fragile emotional stability; her husband Ry (Jim True), and her tough-talking, protective sister, Arabella (Marcia Gay Harden); Bradley (Dan Futterman), a successful New York surgeon, and his younger girlfriend Kiki Tracee Ellis Ross, Diana's daughter); Jordan (George Newbern), an heir to a dairy farm fortune; and his free-spirited friend Trey (Andrew Lauren, Ralph's son).
Feel-good emotions are little evident in this modern-day "Big Chill"; these friends are more likely to attack than comfort each other. Frick, the central character, is a particularly unpleasant creation, a thoroughly repugnant sort who uses hostility as a way to counter his own insecurities. The film is an endless cycle of nasty comments, veiled insults and bitter recriminations, with a minimum of comic relief.
The chief virtue of this laborious effort is the outstanding ensemble cast of future stars. Some -- such as Connelly, Futterman ("The Birdcage") and Harden -- already have extensive film credits but haven't yet hit the right break. Others are newcomers; Ross is just as beautiful as her mother and has an impressive naturalness in front of the camera. And Atterton, a British stage actor, manages the difficult feat of making the obnoxious Frick a compelling character.
FAR HARBOR
Castle Hill Prods.
Director-screenplay John Huddles
Producer Gigi De Pourtales Davis
Executive producers John Huddles,
Gary Huddles, John Wolstenholme
Co-producer Laura Barnett
Director of photography Tami Reiker
Editors Wilton Henderson, Margaret Guinee,
Janice Keuhnelian
Cast:
Frick Edward Atterton
Ellie Jennifer Connelly
Brad Dan Futterman
Arabella Marcia Gay Harden
Trey Andrew Lauren
Jordan George Newbern
Kiki Tracee Ellis Ross
Ryland Jim True
Running time -- 101 minutes
No MPAA rating...
In this tale of a bunch of Generation X-ers hanging during a weekend marked by emotional confrontations, the central character is a filmmaker filled with bitter resentment at the mega-director whose 120-foot yacht berthed in the town's harbor is a visual symbol of unattainable success. This unseen figure is referred to as "Mr. Spreckman", a name that was used after Steven Spielberg expressed his displeasure over the film's original title, "Mr. Spielberg's Boat".
The boat reminds the bitter young English filmmaker Frick (Edward Atterton) of his own recent failures in the movie business. He finds his friends little comfort. They include: Ellie (Jennifer Connelly), a young woman of fragile emotional stability; her husband Ry (Jim True), and her tough-talking, protective sister, Arabella (Marcia Gay Harden); Bradley (Dan Futterman), a successful New York surgeon, and his younger girlfriend Kiki Tracee Ellis Ross, Diana's daughter); Jordan (George Newbern), an heir to a dairy farm fortune; and his free-spirited friend Trey (Andrew Lauren, Ralph's son).
Feel-good emotions are little evident in this modern-day "Big Chill"; these friends are more likely to attack than comfort each other. Frick, the central character, is a particularly unpleasant creation, a thoroughly repugnant sort who uses hostility as a way to counter his own insecurities. The film is an endless cycle of nasty comments, veiled insults and bitter recriminations, with a minimum of comic relief.
The chief virtue of this laborious effort is the outstanding ensemble cast of future stars. Some -- such as Connelly, Futterman ("The Birdcage") and Harden -- already have extensive film credits but haven't yet hit the right break. Others are newcomers; Ross is just as beautiful as her mother and has an impressive naturalness in front of the camera. And Atterton, a British stage actor, manages the difficult feat of making the obnoxious Frick a compelling character.
FAR HARBOR
Castle Hill Prods.
Director-screenplay John Huddles
Producer Gigi De Pourtales Davis
Executive producers John Huddles,
Gary Huddles, John Wolstenholme
Co-producer Laura Barnett
Director of photography Tami Reiker
Editors Wilton Henderson, Margaret Guinee,
Janice Keuhnelian
Cast:
Frick Edward Atterton
Ellie Jennifer Connelly
Brad Dan Futterman
Arabella Marcia Gay Harden
Trey Andrew Lauren
Jordan George Newbern
Kiki Tracee Ellis Ross
Ryland Jim True
Running time -- 101 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 11/25/1996
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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