Break a Leg

After seeing 'Break a Leg' in Vancouver at the release party I thought it was a very enjoyable film.

I had a few outright belly laughs and some of the cameos (Eric Roberts in particular) were a scream. I haven't heard word about actual release date although I've heard it's close.

The story is simple but is mainly a vehicle for the characters and situations. The script is smooth and seamless, the plot develops effortlessly and the acting is comfortable yet fresh. This film has won at least one award from EACH of the film festivals it's been in, which is around 10 - 15 or so.

I highly recommend 'Break a Leg'.

Just saw this at the Phoenix Film Festival where it won the coveted Best Film Award. Suffice to say, I'm not quite sure why it won this award. I saw much better films at the festival. This was nothing special. Basically, about a struggling Italian character actor who decides to take matters into his own enraged hands to achieve his big break after pilfering in the rediculous film industry for too long. I was impressed with the cast they managed to get, esp. all the celebrity cameos. However, I felt this film felt like an old episode of "Tales From the Crypt" where the actor kills his competition more than anything else. I loved the climatic scene with the actor and and undercover cop who, for some rediculous reason, also happens to be very talented, but that's about it. I found the humour and plot to be very predictable and lame. The symbolism was truly putrid (Jennifer Beals gets her big casting break, then breaks her leg, how quaint!) There have been plenty of great films about the rage of rejection in the film business, murder in the entertainment industry, and paranoid psychotics, but this ain't one of them. It's amusing enough with great acting, cinematography and editing. But nothing truly memorable. Mainstream-pandering if anything else. 6/10.

I was pleasantly surprised I quite liked this movie. Witty writing (some "inside" jokes I got, others I didn't - maybe due to actors speaking on top of one another), great acting (notably John Cassini), great cameos, interesting and unique directing. I rented it to see Jeffrey Meek (very disappointed he was in it such a short time, blink and you'll miss him!) but found the movie remarkably entertaining. I'll actually watch it again before I send back to Netflix. I think actors and wanna-be actors will thoroughly enjoy this movie. The ending is somewhat expected but wish they'd done something different (and more positive). Too bad the movie wasn't better received except for in the "festival" market. I suggest it to anyone who loves the acting biz.

The story was written well, and it kept my attention. There were some great shots and sequences in the film. There is a sequence where the main character (played by John Cassini) is acting out his part as a priest...delivering his lines to black x's on a green screen. The camera clips back and forth between Cassini's priest and the x's as his lines are spoken. A shot that particularly stood out was a 30-second shot of Cassini inserting a blue contact lens over his brown eye, the lens doesn't quite want to stay in place, over and over Cassini blinks, and finally the lens slides into place. Fantastic shot. Enjoyable film, I would recommend it.

I recently watched Break A Leg (2005) on Tubi. The film follows a struggling actor reaching the end of his rope, trying everything from studying to taking classes and working closely with his agent to land the roles he believes he deserves. Frustrated, he decides to take matters into his own hands.

Directed by Monika Mitchell (Deadly Midwife), the cast includes John Cassini (Chaos), Carol Mansell (Better Call Saul), Frank Cassini (The Watchmen) and Jennifer Beals (Flashdance).

I really watched this thinking it starred John Cusack...it doesn't. It does have a cameo by Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight), whose acting is a bit over the top and his character added little to the film. This also has fun cameos by Jennifer Beals and Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy). John Cassini does deliver a strong and authentic main character. There's a nice blend of desperation, hope and comedy in his performance. The storyline does have a great setup with some potential characters worth rooting for, but as the plot unfolds it losses some steam and ends as a dud.

Despite a promising setup and potential characters to root for, the plot loses momentum and concludes as a bit of a letdown. Break A Leg offers a unique character story with a great premise but lacks pull-through. I would give it a 5/10 but suggest watching it once.