Michael Schroeder's new movie should have taken him out of B-movie obscurity. The director of the two "Cyborg" sequels has finally grasped some serious material, but unfortunately he hasn't let go of the cheese from his previous films.
The story trails lonesome, alienated Michael- a movie buff who wants to win a film scholarship, which is available through a student video competition. His torrid home life and nonexistent social life start to weigh down his dream of becoming a filmmaker. By chance, he meets a cranky old man named Flash (played very well by Christopher Plummer) who has connections to Orson Welles and the golden age of cinema.
"The Man in the Chair" begins with a montage featuring some Tony Scott-type mock handcrank shots. It's a questionably flashy beginning, but it creates a serious tone that allows you to take it seriously. This tone is betrayed immediately when Michael is introduced. He is bullied in an unrealistic, Nickelodeon-worthy fashion. What is particularly jarring is when he jumps on top of the bully's car with his bicycle (!?). Immediately, the movie turns into an artificial and inept after school special.
As a result, much is wasted. The cinematography by experienced Hollywood camera operator Dana Gonzales is absolutely beautiful, but the handcrank shots (added as reference to classic cinema) become distracting and irritating. However, there is crisp lighting and some impressively done sequences. Great performances by Plummer, Mitch Pileggi and M. Emmet Walsh are marred by the campiness of the screenplay. This is an unfortunate movie that didn't deserve any of the talent it attracted.
The real problem with "Man in the Chair" is its utter lack of credibility. This is an optimistic story that is full of good cheer, but it tries to get by on its likability alone. Truly important details, like believability and honesty are half-attempted. The development of Michael consists of platitudinous and insincere movie references. Michael is a cardboard "cinephile" with no depth, just a poorly developed passion. One character gets into trouble with the law, but this is shown with very little long-run consequence. The movie tries to avoid clichés that would be seen as "too Hollywood" to the point that it feels like a self-conscious Hollywood movie. The lack of honesty is not only appalling, it is embarrassing.
The clichés don't stop. The generation-gap jokes between Flash and Michael are tired and mostly unfunny. Also, there is far too much similarity to "Finding Forrester" to acknowledge this movie as even marginally original. There are countless plot conveniences filled with poorly thought out logic. Schroeder skims on plot details, making the movie lose respectability with every scene.
This is a feel good movie that seems to be aimed at idiots. Schroeder's film may have been passable as a mid-90's Disney movie, (minus some useless foul language inserted for a "hard edge") but he doesn't realize that American audiences have moved on from absolute characters and feel-good clichés. Unfortunately, Schroeder hasn't left his B-movie tendencies behind. Maybe he should stick to the straight to video shelf.
