Jack Goes Boating****
Having excelled in all acting roles he has ever taken on, it is only fitting that Philip Seymour Hoffman should move behind the camera to continue his monopoly of the film industry. Thankfully, he also co-stars in his directorial debut, Jack Goes Boating, so as not to deprive us of his great talent.
Hoffman plays limo driver Jack, a man with a small social circle who feels uncomfortable in his own skin. His best friend and work colleague, Clyde (John Ortiz), gets his wife, Lucy (Daphne Rubin-Vega), to set Jack up on a blind date with her equally shy and accident-prone work colleague, Connie (Amy Ryan). The fledgling pair plans to go boating when the weather gets warmer. But what first ensues is a tale of love, betrayal, friendship and grace, all set in working-class New York City.
As intrepid as its socially encumbered couples, Seymour Hoffman’s directorial debut, Jack Goes Boating, shakes up all the niggling anxieties of first-time dating and long-term partnership in one tiny microcosm of NYC life and delivers a droll but sensitive character piece with a wholehearted punch.
Its momentum is slow-paced to allow its socially inept but obsessive-compulsive lead, Jack, the time to adjust to the big changes foisted on his daily existence and to come to terms with them at his own speed. These brooding moments are punctuated by bolts-out-of-the-blue, actions so sudden they make you jump, like mini electric shocks signalling a wake-up call – it’s just not certain whether they are meant solely for those on screen, or to keep us alert as to where we are in the story and Jack’s mindset.
What is fascinating to witness – in addition to Seymour Hoffman in dreads, as Jack loves reggae and no other reason – is as one party strives to belong, socially, and improve for each other, the energy injected into making this happen by the other pair tears away at the flimsy scaffolding holding up Clyde and Lucy’s marriage façade, which makes the humorous moments more bitter than sweet and quite unexpectedly involving.
Seymour Hoffman and Ryan – in an almost unrecognisable part from her usual assertive roles – do not fail to deliver. However, those familiar with Terry Gilliam’s hit 1991 love story, The Fisher King, will no doubt spot the obvious comparisons with social outcasts Parry (Robin Williams) and Lydia (Amanda Plummer) who are coaxed back into civilised society, only to flourish with the power of love and hope. Seymour Hoffman and Ryan’s portrayal, although touchingly funny and quaint, feels like a déjà vu moment from that memorable film, to be honest.
Seymour Hoffman’s ‘Fisher King’, however, is far more edgy and risqué than fantastical, with some clumsy sexual explorative scenes between the new couple. It also has the wonderful one-on-one bromance moments between Jack and Clyde – with Ortiz as Clyde like the jovial shining beacon of hope that is gradually flickering out, but stays focused on Jack like a school project to keep his thoughts and feelings at bay. Within the swimming scenes, for example, the director also plays with a variety of angles and points-of-view, which keep the status quo refreshing, visually.
As directorial debuts go, Seymour Hoffman sticks to a narrow window on life, and one with a simple plot of human nature and action-reaction guiding the way. His odd choice of attire simply adds a little eccentricity to proceedings, but does nothing to enhance the character’s persona. It could be argued that Seymour Hoffman wants to ensure unconventionality prevails, lest we are left with discovering something less intriguing. More importantly, as the story touches on believing in someone, we want to do the same.
4/5 stars
By @FilmGazer
**WATCH THE TRAILER HERE**
