The Photographer

This movie is a dream-like parable of a pretentious N.Y. photographer who has learned that art must come deep from the heart and be authentic. He has lost his native ability in the glamour of the artistic "in-crowd" and finds his way with the help of underclass mentors. The importance of his pictures pale in comparision to the image of life he derives in his journey.

This film is definitely an indie, but it was really quite good.

The story starts with Max (Reg Rogers), who was the big thing in the NYC photography world a year ago, but has lost his talent. He needs to somehow produce 10 brilliant shots in one day, or else he risks losing everything. Max manages to procure these 10 masterpieces after a mysterious man leaves them in a bar. Unfortunately, someone steals them from Max, too.

The majority of the movie follows Max on his quest to recover the 10 photos, which have been inexplicably scattered throughout the city. He meets up with several interesting characters, including Maggie Gyllenhaal and Rob Campbell. Gyllenhaal's character is especially good. She plays an aspiring newscaster, obsessive-compulsive daughter of a clairvoyant (sounds confusing, but it's pretty funny).

This movie is nothing huge, but I really liked it. The shots of the city at night are pretty, and all of the quirky characters are likeable.

I saw THE PHOTOGRAPHER at the durango film festival in March 2001. Although I didn't quite understand what was going on (until someone briefly explained it to me, then it all made sense), it was an enjoyable film, mainly because of the supporting cast, especially the guy the the photographer saves from almost getting killed. To me, the film began to remind me of THE WIZARD OF OZ because this photographer meets individuals on his journey, and each one joins his quest.

"The Photographer" is one of the most disappointing films that I've seen in a long time.

Nicely shot, but no other redeeming features for a pretentious piece of drivel.

One of the main characters is an aspiring writer racked with self-doubt to an extent that he can't bring himself to add a ribbon to his typewriter. We might have all been spared if only Jeremy Stein had possessed the same lack of confidence.

Something about pulling teeth and fun comes to mind. Save yourself from certain disappointment...give this one a miss.

It's not a great film but it's got a lot of fine moments. The best performance of that whole movie is easily, Maggie Gyllenhaal. She plays this kooky, fortune teller-wannabe who is a neatfreak and likes to broadcast the news while using her feather duster as a microphone. Every scene she's in is worth watching. I recommend to the thousands (and thousands) of Gyllenhaalics.