Hochstapler wider Willen

Not a bad movie, "Hometown Boy" does have a certain endearing quality, with solid acting and direction. Anthony Edwards plays his typical geeky self in a benign story that predictably gets his character (Boyd Geary) in over his head. I thought the ending was even a little poignant and sweet, but the movie did lack something key. I think it had to do with the humor - or lack thereof. Several scenes that were supposed to add some comedy fell flat and kept "Hometown Boy" from being anything more than a passably enjoyable little film.

I knew that when I first saw a trailer for the Kasdan film "Mumford" that I'd seen it before. I even knew the name of the movie and who starred in it. That sounds pretty pathetic considering it only has ten votes to date and I think at least five of those belong to my brother and I (we thought it should at least have star rating). A movie can't truly exist until it has a star rating on the IMDb. Anyhow, I'm not saying "Hometown Boy Makes Good" is a masterpiece, certainly not, but it is an original (provided no one tells me otherwise). And who could turn down a movie with everyones favorite nerd, Anthony Edwards.

I watched this film on a whim: it was on late night TV, and my curiosity as to what else ER's Anthony Edwards was capable of got the better of me. And in a way I'm glad I did, as - for all its faults - "Hometown Boy..." is still worth a lazy Sunday afternoon's viewing. Which is not to say the film is a forgotten classic, or any other such cliché, but as far as TV movie versions of familiar misunderstanding-based tales go, this one is at least eminently likeable.

Edwards plays Boyd Geary - the hometown boy of the title, a med. school drop-out who returns to his childhood abode to visit his mother and break the news of his failure to keep up with his studies. Naturally circumstances conspire against his well-meaning intentions, and after many abortive attempts to reveal the truth he is coaxed into playing doctor to the delighted, ignorant town.

This conceit is drawn out with some nice touches, particularly the amusing group counselling scenes and Edwards' gloriously overbearing, potty mother. Geary's character is subtly fleshed out against a predominantly two-dimensional cast of parochial oddities, with his obvious discomfort at finding himself back among half-forgotten friends and acquaintances, and quiet enjoyment of the respect his deception secures adding some tactful sympathy to his predicament.

That said, "Hometown Boy..." never strays from the boundaries of (very) light entertainment, feeling in places more like an extended daytime soap than a movie. Nevertheless, the film is a spirited alternative to its big-budgeted counterparts - and just as worthy of switching off your brain for.