Fell, Jumped or Pushed

Oh my gosh. I sat here and laughed out loud. If you're a fan of mockumentaries, you need to put this right next to your favorite Christopher Guest films. Such a nice chemistry within the cast, and so fun to watch them interacting with Todd's actual family. I can't wait to watch it again! Great characters, great story lines, great one-liners!

The entire odd squad was fun to watch, but I thought the performances by Todd, Mark, Caroline and Blair were standouts. They created a wonderful blend of angst, fear, naiveté and attraction. And what a thrill to see Andrei Belgrader playing the delightfully nasty guru.

Todd's family members deserve their commendations as well. They were such good sports, and it was plain that they were enjoying the experience of being in the movie.

I loved this film. FELL, JUMPED, or PUSHED is a very clever and fun mockumentary with seriously fantastic performances and a lot of heart. Todd Peters (also the director/writer), Caroline Hall, Jeremy Rabb, Mark Boyett, and Blair Sams as the core crew of the documentary that is the subject of the film – and Andrei Belgrader as the over-the-top auteur – all gave seamless, grounded performances. And the grandmothers! There is a scene in a bar with one of the grandmothers - I want to bottle her voice. She's amazing. (The blending of actors with "real people" is interesting and effective.) The movie's tone is akin to Christopher Guest films at their most real moments, and I laughed out loud more than once. This is a well done, entertaining indy film that I highly recommend.

One of the most enjoyable films I seen last year! Brilliant writing! An absolute must for anyone who likes witty indie films! It's a story that you will still be thinking about a week later. Hats off to the director for bringing together not only a great cast but also a very enjoyable and entertaining story. I went into the theater not knowing anything about the film. Being in the film industry myself I am sometimes a tough critic however I was laughing out loud almost the entire time and I left hoping there would be a sequel. ( I never leave hoping for a sequel) I would recommend this film to anyone but especially to the entertainment and film industry crowd. Get your popcorn and get ready to laugh out loud!

Fell, Jumped or Pushed is a funny meta-mock-documentary that follows a bunch of likable, if not competent amateur documentary filmmakers pursuing an impulsive passion project. The joke is that the rookie documentarians are being documented as well, by a "legendary" documentarian, who is disgusted by the DIY enthusiasts who think they can read one of his books and suddenly produce follow in his footsteps. The mockumentary style has become the domain of television, (The Office/Park & Recreation ...) but it's easier to sustain in the investment of suspending reality when it is shown in a movie style. The acting and commitment to the characters carries the film. Writer/director Todd Peters gives a solid lead performance. HIs cast is interesting, likable and believable. The direction is crisp. The jokes don't draw blood, so much as tickle you with a feather. The reason the jokes work so well is that the characters are worthy of emotional investment. You want to see these people succeed. Thee are some genuinely clever twists as well that make this film worth watching to the finish. You want to see these people succeed. The setups take a little bit longer than sitcom mocumentaries and the obvious low budget of the film makers (real) lend a charm to the film that makes it actually look more like a real independent documentary than the modern style of sendups. In that sense, the film comes off like early Albert Brooks comedies. If you are tired of watching bloated budget green screen spandex extravaganzas, this fun little movie is well worth your time, and it gives you something to cheer for.

"Fell, Jumped, Or Pushed" has a specific look and feel directly evocative of amateur documentary filmmaking. That's because this cleverly ingenious film is in fact its own mockumentary cheerfully flogging amateur documentary filmmakers, and it therefore demands none other than this precise visual presentation. Here we have a send-up of people who aren't good at filmmaking, and it's at its most hilarious when it implicates even its own filmmakers! Terrific.

To extend the joke to its threshold, director Todd Peters is also the star of "Fell, Jumped, Or Pushed" -- and his character, too, is named Todd, blurring the lines between lampooner and lampooned (the layers of self-deprecation and insinuation here are gonzo). Who knows what Todd Peters might be like in his real life, but film character Todd is most assuredly a clueless non-starter: He reads a how-to book authored by filmmaker Ivan (Andre Belgrader), and instantly empowered, he knows he's destined to make movies himself. Ivan soon becomes privy to all this, and sensing the seismic tremors preceding Todd's cataclysmic on-set disaster, he voyeuristically gathers his own camera crew to document Todd's film shoot. Todd's intentions for his movie may or may not have something to do with the empowerment of women, but we do have a title: "A Journey to Courage" features ladies from Todd's own family tree, and it goes nowhere fast until cousin Marcy -- while herself on set -- finds the filmmaking bug has bitten her, too. She adroitly grabs Todd's movie by the scruff, redirecting it in the thematic vicinity of the family's long-disappeared military grandfather Curly.

Assuredly, "Fell, Jumped or Pushed" is a very well-acted film, thanks to its fine actors' collective willingness to completely lay out for the script's great character development. The roles they inhabit are at times ludicrous, and in the next moment immersive and freshly fascinating, with no better example provided than Todd himself: He's at his best once his composure mudslides as a result of his film having dovetailed away from him, eventually hitting the proverbial fan. From concept to completion, "Fell, Jumped Or Pushed" is an exceedingly smart, self-aware, and inventively funny film, and one that sits squarely in its own space. -(Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)