|
CLEAR BLUE TUESDAY Send This Review to a Friend
Director Elizabeth Lucas has attempted something challenging with mixed results—a largely improvisational, cast-contributed story in which characters break into song to express themselves, not in conventional Hollywood musical style, but more in low-key, everyday situations. The concept isn’t new. French director Alain Resnais tried something similar in “Same Old Song,” but with greater artistry and professionalism.
The musical is set against the tragedy of 9/11 as a landmark. Interwoven stories, presented in a succession of years, each an anniversary of 9/11, attempt to show how people grapple with life. Mostly, the stories don’t stem from 9/11. They are meant to reveal human beings in New York whose lives are given meaning by having to move on from what had devastated the city and what can be seen in context.
How you react to all of this may depend on how much you like the pop and rock music contributed by the various participants, and also how interesting you find the character assortment with their trials and tribulations.
The cast seems dedicated and game, including such diverse performers as Becca Ayers, Asa Somers, Jeremy Schonfeld, Julie Danao, Jan O’Dell, Cassandra Kubinski, Erin Hill, Rob Hager, Vedant Gokhale, Brother Love and Greg Naughton. But blandness hovers over the entire operation, which lacks intensity and excitement despite the obvious efforts of all concerned to create something special. One can admire the effort, the goal and the work that went into the enterprise more than the results. A CAVU Pictures release.
|