Veteran indie filmmaker Henry Jaglom‘s latest movie is a decidedly old-fashioned backstage the-show-must-go-on drama. It is also very much a family affair with his considerably younger wife Tanna Frederick as the star, and his two children Simon Jaglom and Sabrina Jaglom in the supporting cast too.
The story is based on the week of a life of two plays that are been produced in adjoining stages in a small L.A. Theater. Although they have been critically well-received and are playing to fill houses, they are losing money and will have to close if the Producer fails to find new backers before the week is out. Into this scenario comes Stewart Henry (James Denton) a successful TV star who wants to woo their headlining star Maggie Chase (Frederick) away from the stage to co-star with him in a new TV show. She is more flattered by the fact that he is devilishly handsome and seems to be attracted to her, than by the part he is asking her to play professionally.
As the week passes and Stewart is doing his best to get a very reluctant Maggie to accept the offer, the supporting cast play out their own dramas on and off the stage. All the time the threat of the show being cancelled if new finance doesn’t come through in time, haunts the overly-anxious actors every move and conversation. Except when they are not fighting for the attention for one of the younger actresses who cannot decide which of her beaus she really wants.
As the week draws to a close the atmosphere heats up much more and the whole things takes on a slight farcical tone when the twists of the plot reveal that most of the key players in the drama have at best been ‘economical with the truth.’
Denton and Frederick both give sterling performances brimming over with chemistry and are a sheer delight to watch. However the others give awkward turns. and with such a cliched and somewhat clumsy script the ensemble scenes, end up coming across as wince-making hammy. With all the rather forced melodrama they do a great job convincing one that you are actually watching a heavy handed amateur drama club putting on a show.
The two lead actors are the redeeming feature of this somewhat disappointing movie. but whether that is enough to warrant sitting through their one week, or your 102 minutes, is another thing entirely.
