International Falls

International Falls is a comedy/drama directed by Amber McGinnis. The film follows Dee (portrayed by Rachael Harris) who works at a hotel in the small town of International Falls, Minnesota. She dreams of being a comedian but doesn't follow the dream due to her obligations as a mother and wife. However, when Tim (portrayed by Rob Huebel) comes to the hotel for his comedy show, Dee comes head-to-head with her unhappy life/marriage and whether she should pursue her dreams.

The film is a decent low-budget comedy/drama. Dee and Tim are both likable characters despite being a bit boring. The story itself is a nice film about the struggles that a normal person faces - realizing the struggle between following your dreams and taking care of your responsibilities.

Where the film lacked was the overall story. While it was a nice film about normal everyday struggles, the film is a bit boring because it's just the life of Dee. Also, I did not think Dee or Tim were really funny. Maybe their comedy was just not my type of comedy but the film was more of a drama than a comedy to me.

With that being said, if you like the indie small-budget comedy's, this isn't a bad film. - 5/10.

What makes International Falls such an engaging film -- outside of the soothing Minnesoooota accents -- are the two central performances. As Tim, Huebel perfectly captures the life of a struggling comic, his sarcastic wit and self-deprecating humor masking the emotions he's too insecure to actually share. As Dee, Rachael Harris matches him note-for-note, slowly but surely finding the confidence she needs to alter her life, regardless of how daunting it may seem. Together, Huebel and Harris create the kind of on-screen chemistry that never feels forced or rehearsed; the type of chemistry that grows organically from a shared perspective.

Really nothing to like about this except Rachael Harris' performance. Not sure how she got me to root for such an unlikeable character, even with her accent being inconsistent and the lack of chemistry between the two leads. Other than the two main characters, there was zero depth to any of the others. I expected some twist that never arrived. If you are going to have a movie about standup comedy, at least include some funny comedy? It feels like they cut a big seen near the end and stuck in one of those silent sad scenes in its place, where you are supposed to fill in the blanks. This movie felt honest, but nothing to feel good about.

I'm not a huge indie movie person, but I really enjoyed this film. I found myself drawn into the characters and story, which felt real and authentic. Having grown up in the the town, I enjoyed seeing the shots of the area as well. Some of the accents were a little over the top, but otherwise this movie was spot on. Kudos to the director, cast, and crew, and I hope this movie gets the viewership and recognition it deserves.

This is a nice movie. Not as in like 'puppy nice.' But as in pleasant, even warm. It's human, it's a bit smart, it's low budget without announcing it's cheap, and its shooting style is out of some "good cheap indie character films" instruction book, and I actually mean that as a compliment.

If you're looking for a quietly funny, low-key character revelation with no explosions, car chases, capes, try this one out.

One misgiving: they were needlessly cloying about the stereotypical Fargo accent and speech thing. That was too easy, way too cliched, and a little bit insulting, and I don't even come from there.