You just have to wonder if the overt sentimentality of a Frank Capra-type picture can’t work with a twenty-first century mindset. . . known as Capracorn, his movies were so sweet that they would even cause a perfectly healthy individual to get diabetes. Case in point, 2005’s The Amateurs (sometimes known as The Moguls), a movie so obscure, a teacher makes more money in one year than it grossed at the box office. Panned by critics and never given a chance at the box office, it was relegated to a grim alternate reality akin to Pottersville.
Written and directed by first time film maker Michael Traeger (sadly, this is still his only directorial credit), he follows the Capra mold, finding a rather ironic storyline to juxtapose the heart-filled tale.
Following a group of friends living in slowly floundering small town America, they are led by Andy Sargentee (Jeff Bridges – reveling in his role that includes entertaining voice-over narration), an out of work guy going through a mid-life crisis. The type of person who is always looking for an idea to make a buck, he has thunk his way out of his marriage – his wife, Thelma (Jeanne Tripplehorn), finding comfort in the arms of a very rich man. . . his son’s new step-dad, with his excessive bank account, has even frayed their father/son bond – though Billy (Alex D. Linz) is too young to really understand why.
And then, like a hurricane arising from nowhere, ‘it happened one night’, Andy coming up with his new moneymaking idea (his wild new concepts always spooking the tightknit community). . . the pitch to his buddies coming soon after: including the well respected and even keeled Barney Macklehatton (Tim Blake Nelson); the outlandishly stubborn and eccentric ‘Some Idiot’ (Joe Pantoliano); effeminate Moose (Ted Danson); a barfly loving custodian who is desperate for some excitement – Otis (William Fichtner); while the much younger video store working Emmett (Patrick Fugit) has already agreed to go along for the ride. . . and lest we forget Moe and Ron (John Hawkes and Brian William Henke) – pair them together and guess what you get? But you still may be wondering what this brainstorm is: to make a realistic amateur porno that will out-amateur the real thing.
Surprisingly, the idea goes over very well. . . a bit less so when he asks his close friends for two grand each to help fund the project. Promptly entering into the pre-production stage, members quickly lobby ‘producer’ Andy for jobs – for instance, know-it-all Some Idiot convinces him that he should be writer/director (the caring Andy gives him his ‘big break’), Emmett snaps up the cinematographer credit (after all, he’s seen more movies than the rest combined), Moose wants to add his expertise with women (wink, wink), while Otis is overjoyed in being tasked as a runner, in other words, a lackey. As for reliable Barney, he’ll be Andy’s right-hand-man.
Of course, it doesn’t take long for issues to arise – the fantastical first draft of the script has more over the top action scenes set on trains and helicopters than a Hollywood blockbuster (not sure if that will fly on a five figure budget), while no one has really even thought of how difficult it might be to cast the thing. . . especially the interracial scene (since this small town tends to be pretty white – one of the funniest sequences).
Stumbling through the movie making process, they question whether anyone, be it diner waitress Charlene (Melinda Dahl), mattress saleswoman Ellie (Judy Greer) – they reason that because she works with beds she’s gotta love sex, or one time Playboy feature Peggy (Lauren Graham), might be willing to star in this ambitious if unexpected production.
Though this is the core of the story, it is so much more. It is very much about the characters, each one of them as likeable as any small town hero found in a Capra production. We care for Andy’s fractured relationship with his son, the burden Moose carries with him by keeping his secret (despite the fact all of his friends already know he’s gay), or the unrequited love Barney has for the unhappy alcoholic Helen (Glenne Headly) – who has the knack for choosing the wrong man in life. Smartly, Traeger never makes the film feel exploitative. . . though it obviously has some edgy dialogue, it is not chock full of nudity, and all of the characters find something in the production that gives them a piece they’ve been missing in their lives. . . in a weird way, reinvigorating this small town dead.
Now, this doesn’t mean that this is pure perfection. Filmed on a micro budget, there are clearly issues with narrative, editing, pacing, as well as in several other areas, but its impressive cast helps elevate it to another level. Plus, there’s just something so fun about watching a bunch of middle aged nice guys, knowing nothing but superficial facts and unguaranteed stereotypes, flying by the seat of their pants as they use their town as a backdrop for a most raucous production.
A charming, eccentric, and surprisingly heart-warming motion picture, The Amateurs actually comes across as quite professional. Boasting a clever Capraesque story, superlative cast, and some outlandish comedy, it fuses twenty-first century banter with Golden Age of Hollywood allure (albeit in colour). Though some might compare it to Coen classic The Big Lebowski or the 2008 feature Zack and Miri Make a Porno, this behind-the-scenes scenario is really all its own. So, help this little indie grow in stature, hopefully big things can come from small packages.