Movie Review - Home, James

Home, James **½ (NR) Jonathan Rossetti directs and stars in this quiet indie romantic drama he co-wrote with Julie Gearheard, who also plays his gal pal. James is an aspiring photographer who makes ends meet with odd jobs like driving drunks home from their revelries. One of them is the attractive, hard-partying Cooper (Kerry Knuppe, who resembles Rachel McAdams). They click. But he’s rooted in Tulsa, and she’s a month away from moving to Manhattan, having already decided that city offers nothing but more of the tedium that’s already made excessive boozing her only source of enjoyment.

The story arcs involve James’ hopes for one of the local galleries to show his work, enabling him to actually earn a living with his lens, while also wondering if the love he feels for Cooper will prove mutual and strong enough for her to stay with him. He mopes a lot. His perky friend Sam (Gearheard) seems to have a crush on him, while best-bud Mike the bartender (Rick Dacey) has the hots for her.

That setup reads like a basic formula for romantic comedies, but no one’s going for laughs here. Film buffs might already be recalling John Waters’ use of a similar set-up in 1998’s Pecker. Another nice young man (Edward Furlong) obsessively snapped pix with a cheap old camera all around his non-glamorous home city, hoping to be “discovered”, while pining for The Girl (Christina Ricci). True to form, Waters tale erupted with plenty of campy and satiric comedy elements amid a swirl of over-the-top characters.

By contrast, what we get here is a handful of ordinary relationship and growth issues, presented by a likable, relatable cast. Had this been a star vehicle, it would seem lightweight. But as a shoestring Heartland production with a solid thematic soundtrack, it’s a nice little effort that spurs one’s curiosity about what we’ll see next from these promising young writers and performers. (9/19/14)