Stateside

I saw a prescreening of this lovely movie. It explores fresh exciting territory while telling an extremely realistic teen love story. When the leads sneak around and struggle to be together, it has the romance and fun of ROMEO AND JULIET. In other ways it reminds me of THE MAGDALENE SISTERS in that it tells a story that is important for people to see. However, just like in Magdalene Sisters the message doesn't interfere with the high level of entertainment. The mental illness doesn't take over the film. It just provides a unique obstacle that the lovers must get over to be together.

The acting is excellent and the all the characters are really alive, flawed,

passionate and interesting. All in all, this is a warm and funny movie.

"Stateside" is a quirky romantic comedy. Mark (Jonathan Tucker) is a prep school student with a strict father who sends him to the Marines; Dori (Rachael Leigh Cook) is an aspiring musician with a temper and mental problems. They do a good job of introducing us to the characters; both are quite likable.

The film picks up when our leads are falling in love. The comedy aspects are funny and the romantic aspects are cute. The film gets dramatic at times. In my opinion, too dramatic but the film-makers had things they wanted to say, and I think they wanted to make this a "bigger" film than just a romantic comedy.

The film has a great soundtrack and they got me in a great mood to start the film with Elvis Costello during the opening credits. I recommend "Stateside" for movie fans who want more to their romantic comedies.

I don't know if it matters to anyone, but the 'real life' model for this picture is supposedly Sarah Holcomb, a luminous young actress of the late 70's and early 80's. She played the 13 year old check out girl in 'Animal House' who befriends Tom Hulce (and passes out naked after dropping the bombshell of her age), and later played the Irish waitress Maggie in 'Caddyshack'. After that, she disappeared. I guess the movie explains why.

A Danny Holcomb is cast in the movie, and the credits thank an anonymous 'S.H.' Ms. Holcomb these days lives in deliberate obscurity far away from show business.

Having shared many conversations with Reverge Anselmo, I found him to be the honorable person portrayed in this wonderful film based on a time in his life. Both he and his film deserve high praise. With "Stateside" R. Anselmo brings the audience an intimate story with the ring of universal truth. Jonathan Tucker captures what I would imagine the young Anselmo to be, a young man of honor who grew up to be an honorable adult. I look forward to seeing future films from this talented writer/director, who presents glimpses of his interior with each project and who will meet with continued success telling stories that resonate with audiences.

This movie was in and out of Atlanta theaters in one week-what a shame! It doesn't deserve the short run and bad reviews. All I can say is, if you like romantic movies, try this one on DVD. Stateside has the kind of sweet story that the critics usually hate. It's refreshingly different from most romances. It avoids the typical formula. You know the one, where the girl and guy meet cute, fall in love during a musical interlude, break up, and get back together at the end, typically with the guy racing to the airport to catch the girl at the last minute before she boards her plane. Stateside reminded me of movies that I saw back in the sixties, like The Graduate. Of course, it isn't as good as The Graduate, but it has that kind of off-beat quality.

Some of the negative reviews focused on minor issues such as the slow start and continuity problems. Others complained that the dialog was too poetic, but to me that was a plus not a minus. Still others pointed out how unrealistic this kind romance would be in the real world. But haven't these people ever heard of "willing suspension of disbelief?" Besides, countless romantic stories have derived their drama from the fact that the guy and girl are so different from each other. And unlike most 'opposites attract' movies, Stateside doesn't shy away from showing how difficult it would be for these two to have any kind of long-term relationship.

These critics apparently missed the point of the movie. It is about a bittersweet romance that would never have happened if not for Dori's mental illness. Both Mark and Dori gave up something important in order to get something they desperately wanted. If Dori had not been mentally ill, she would have married some rock star or movie star. She had to give up that dream because now she is lucky to get any guy, much less a nice guy like Mark. Mark had to give up a lot, too. Before meeting Dori, he probably expected to fall in love with an average but mentally stable girl. He gave up that prospect in order to do something he would have previously thought impossible-have a relationship with a real pin-up girl.

Jonathan Tucker and Rachel Leigh Cook are outstanding as Mark and Dori, especially Cook. She plays such a sweet, innocent and guileless beauty that you have no trouble believing that Tucker's character could fall in love with her despite her mental illness. Cook strips away the veneer of civility and gamesmanship that we typically see in Hollywood romances. What she reveals is a very likable character.

By the way, the story is based on the director's own life. He was a rich kid who fell in love with a mentally ill actress. He did join the marines and was sent to Lebanon.

Stateside won't win any academy awards. It has its flaws, but it is an enjoyable movie with fine acting and appealing characters. I give it 7.5 out of 10.