Local Blind Movie Critic Goes to Hollywood

Tuesday, July 19, 2011.

It’s a date that Wesley Chapel resident Jay Forry will never forget.  After checking into his posh hotel room at the Hollywood Roosevelt in Los Angeles, he and his friend Alan LaVigne strolled along the Hollywood Walk of Fame and toured Grauman’s Chinese Theater, home to some of Tinseltown’s most iconic stars (literally and figuratively) and their hand and footprints. 

“I even bent over Jay Leno’s star and positioned myself so you could just see his first name,” said Forry of his namesake. “It looked like I had my own star!”

It’s that jovial sense of humor that landed Forry a guest spot on The Jimmy Kimmel Show that day. As the nation’s only blind movie critic, the former steel worker foreman transitioned to his current career after he lost his eyesight at 28 years old from diabetes.

During his eight-minute interview with Kimmel, he explained, “while other people are watching gorgeous women and special effects in 3D, I’m listening to the actual plot and storyline!”

His counselor at the Division of Blind Services in Tampa encouraged him to attend classes at Pasco-Hernando Community College. 

“I was asked to write something for the school newspaper, and I volunteered to be the movie critic. I loved movies, and I knew a blind movie critic would make people laugh,” recalls Forry. 

He also secured a position as Student Government vice president after posting fliers that read: "Vote for Jay Forry: He has a vision." Upon graduation from USF, he wrote for some local papers before airing on 93.3 WFLZ with MJ Kelli. Word spread like wildfire, and he conducted 50 interviews that week. 

As they say, the rest is history. 

Patch spoke to this inspiring, vibrant 52-year-old, who has never let his disability get in the way of anything.

Patch: What do love most about the Wesley Chapel/Land O’ Lakes community?

Forry: I’ve been in Tampa since 1965, and Wesley Chapel since ’69. I love that you can go a mile and find a restaurant, recreation, grocery stores or any kind of store, and then, travel the same distance and find the woods and animals.

Patch: Were you angry after you lost your sight? 

Forry: It didn’t bother me in the slightest bit. It was a gradual process; it took about a year and a half for me to lose my sight. First, I couldn’t drive, then I only saw shadows, and so on. People would say, “I can’t believe you’re not angry … are you sure you don’t want to talk to someone (a therapist)?” But I stayed busy and had a great support system including my wonderful family and friends.   

Patch:  Do you receive DVDs so you can watch them in the privacy of your own home, or do you go to a theater?

Forry:  I do receive DVDs of films every November and December for the year. As a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association I vote on the Critics Choice Awards every year, the first televised award show of the season.

Patch:  What’s your favorite neighborhood movie theater?

Forry:  I love the bistro and huge leather seats at The Cobb at the Grove in Wesley Chapel. I’ll go with my wife Dorothy and/or my 30-year-old son, Tim.

Patch:  Top five movies of all time…

Forry: The Quiet Man, The Sound of Music, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Sixth Sense and the original Star Wars.

Patch: What was the last good film you’d give a solid two thumbs up to?

Forry: Three summer films that were done very well include Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Captain America: The First Avenger and X-Men: First Class.

Patch: Favorite childhood film?

Forry: A Christmas Story.

Patch: Who would you like to see play you in a movie?

Forry: Tom Hanks

Patch: Favorite actors & actresses? And, who do you see as the great up-and-comers?

Forry: Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock. Sam Worthington and Emma Stone have great futures.

Patch: Any upcoming films you are anticipating? 

Forry:  I was a big comic book reader as a child, so I’m looking forward to seeing all the superheroes come together in The Avengers in 2012.

Patch: What was it like to be on national television? 

Forry:  It was a lot of fun, and Jimmy and I had a great rapport! They first shot a teaser of me sitting in a theater chair. I was eating popcorn and looking at a flickering light against a blank wall and laughing like crazy. And a security guard was standing there watching me thinking, “what is wrong with this guy?!” 

The producer, Josh, did warn me that when I first go out there (on stage), the audience might not know how to react to my handicap.  They’d be cautious so as not to insult me or hurt my feelings. But after a few seconds, I think they realized that it was definitely OK to laugh along. They even aired the segment three days later. The producer said that usually they wait months, but because it was so popular they aired it again that Friday night!

Patch: What do you want to say to all of your fans and supporters? 

Forry: It feels goods when people email me or tell me that I inspire them. It makes me want to try harder. I also want to thank everybody who encouraged me and told me I would do a good job onJimmy Kimmel” and congratulated me afterward.

Check out Jay's website at blindsidereviews.com.