Seven and a Match

First-time Writer/director Simonds has attempted a hip "That Championship Season" script, bringing together several school chums for a reunion.

They talk, booze, and have affairs during a long weekend. While some of the conversation is witty, biting and poignant, other talk is laid-back, pedestrian and staid.

Writer Simonds is certainly talented, especially in crafting honest, intimate confessionals; he displays less ability, though, in offering more poetic revelations of the human condition.

However, there's nothing wrong with the youthful cast that Ellen Parks has selected. These are highly gifted professionals, rendering sharply etched characterizations.

The only member I recognized was Tina Holmes, from her moving debut in "Edge of Seventeen." This busy, hard-working actress has the most challenging assignment here, which she manages to execute with great conviction.

All the cast is uniformly excellent in this interesting, tight ensemble piece.

We are taken to a country house, at the beginning of the film, where Ellie, whose family owns the property, is making preparations to receive her week-end guests. They are all young people that have known each other for some time and who seem to like one another, in their own peculiar way. What was to be a quiet time in the country, turns out to be an occasion where truths about each one in the group sees the others, and themselves.

"Seven and a Match" marks the cinema debut of Derek Simonds, who also wrote the screen play. The film has an intensity that involves the viewer from the start. We care for these characters as we watch them in the intimate setting where friendships will be put to a test and some hidden truths about each one of these friends will be revealed.

The ensemble cast gathered for the film has a youthful appeal. Best of all is Tina Holmes, whose Ellie, is one of the best things this young actress has done in her career. Eion Bailey, is the callous Sid, who plays with Peter's feelings. Adam Scott does good work as Peter, a young gay man who realizes what Sid is doing to his head. Petra Wright is also an asset in the film with her take on Blair, the apparently superficial girl who betrays Matthew without realizing the consequences of her actions. Heather Donahue is also good as Whit, the girl that seems to have it all, yet she envies Blair's beauty.

"Match and a Seven" will not disappoint. One can identify with the characters and what they are doing to each other.

I didn't start watching this film enthusiastically but three names in the cast roster pulled me in- Tina Holmes, Devon Gummersall, and Eion Bailey. Holmes made me a fan in HBO's Six Feet Under. Gummersall turned in an amazing performance in Showtime's The L Word. And even if Eion Bailey hadn't delivered a really fine long developing character arc (one among many) in Band of Brothers, he's so freaking beautiful I'd probably Tivo one of SciFi's worst dogs if he had a couple of scene... but I digress. I was unfamiliar with the other five actors in this remarkable ensemble piece but I'll be watching for them now. There are larger and smaller roles in the film, but there are no greater and lesser performances - each actor is given the opportunity to create a nuanced character and every one of them delivers the goods. It's also quite remarkable to me that that this is Derek Simonds' first writing/directing effort and after 5 years it's STILL his only credit on IMDb. I'm only giving it 8 stars because it took a little longer than it absolutely had to, but I have no idea whose performance I'd have trimmed if the choice were mine. Bravo!

The main character is a whiny, irresponsible study of how to throw yourself a pity party. She loses it at the drop of a hat, acts pathetic, is schizophrenic, and left me wondering why on Earth she doesn't understand why these 'friends' of hers haven't called her in three years. (Get a clue, sister - you're a juvenile mess!) I couldn't stand her or the friends. I never felt connected to any of the characters. To make the entire movie even more unbearable, someone went far out of their way to put the world's most hideous collection of crocheted and knitted hats in existence on film for all of eternity (this alone should warrant someone be put on wardrobe probation for a decade!)

The acting wasn't awful, but not really believable either, and in the end the only thing that I DID care about was the two hours I'm never going to get back. Don't waste your time - go catch up on a dentist appointment instead!

I was quite blown away by this directorial debut. Here, a number of friends reunite, all of them carrying serious baggage. I loved the intimacy with which the characters are presented, the way in which the writer-director captured so much nuance about each and every one of them. The ensemble were consistently pushed to emotional extremes, with each actor allowed to explore their own personal dilemmas. I would have loved to have been on the set to see how the cast created each moment. A very strong cast has been collected here, in one of those rare indie films that really reached in and yanked at my insides. Moving, unusual, and so refreshing after watching so much studio crap. Bring on this filmmaker's next project, for god's sake!!