I'm Reed Fish

I watched this movie via Pay Per View on cable with my daughter last night. Having watched three other movies this weekend, I think I liked this one the best. Reed shows a nearly idyllic view of life in a small town in the summertime, where all the inhabitants are nice folk, and the weather is perfect every day.

This movie is really about that moment when you are 20-ish and you really make the big decisions that can determine what the rest of your life will be like. Since the writer put his own real name in the title of the movie, it isn't hard to imagine that this is his story.

Yes, this is not the most exciting movie ever, but the main character was very likable, the humor was amusing and the girls very pretty.

Compared to "Princess Diaries 2", another PG movie I saw this weekend, "I'm Reed Fish" was easily the more enjoyable film.

In Mud Meadows, a small community somewhere north of Texas, Reed Fish (Jay Baruchel) is a jack-of-all-trades radio broadcaster and DJ for the local and heavily followed station. The mayor (Katey Segal) is his sidekick and astrologist for the morning program. Also in Reed's future, is a wedding to the lovely Kate (Alexis Bledel), the daughter of the richest and most prolific businessman in town. The ceremony is only weeks away, with Kate and her mother making most of the decisions. Does Reed show some reluctance? He does, and it gets worse when a former flame, er, crush of Reed's comes back to town. Jill (Schuyler Fisk) is staying with her folks before entering law school. Still beautiful and available, Reed is thrown for a loop. Should he break things off with Kate and go after Jill? Does Jill even have any regard for him? Also, what about Reed's chosen profession, which he inherited from his local legend father? Is this really what Mr. Fish wants to do or does he have secret, other ambitions? This charming but odd film looks at life in a small town and its, sometimes, eccentric characters. The cast is wonderful, with Baruchel, Bledel, Segal, and all of the others doing nice work. Especially great is Fisk, who gets a chance to display her strong singing/songwriting talents as well as her acting chops. Why isn't this lady in more films? It's a puzzlement. The sets are a fun look at village locale while costumes, script, direction, and photography all come out ahead of the pack. Nevertheless, those who don't like the above description or romantic dramas, may not find it their cup of tea. But, if it sounds good to anyone, brew a pot and sip, watch, enjoy.

Fun, quirky, if un-even story. Reed (jay baruchel) has lost his parents, and takes his father's place as the host of a morning radio show for the locals. He's engaged to be married, but isn't so sure.... then about halfway through the movie, he falls apart. Career wise, emotionally, and all aspects of his life. About the same time, the film itself kind of takes a left turn; the characters start loooking directly into the character. And the story itself goes in a new direction, which takes a few minutes to figure out. The storyline is mostly good.. quiet little town, where everyone knows everyone else. A lot of us grew up in a town like that. Can reed pull himself back together and start over? Life is a lot of bad timing... when one person is available, the one you desire is not. It's not bad... the script just needed some tightening up. Can't say too much, to avoid giving away spoilers.

I saw the movie last night at the film festival in Hamburg. It's a fun movie with a lot of great actors in it. I really enjoyed it and just want to encourage people to go see it. Without giving away to much - I don't think it particularly needed the story within the story - let me just say that. Besides that, it was a lot of fun to watch and the music in the movie is great. Schuyler Fisk is amazing! She has a great voice as well as good acting skills - I really hope to see more of her in the future! The location was well chosen - beautiful shots of the surroundings as well as the village! all in all -> great indie movie, and even more appreciated after hearing from reed fish how much work went into doing this movie in just 18 days!

Reed Fish is, in my opinion, the small quirky type of indie films that the U.S. does well, and which unfortunately are rarely seen outside of America.

The film doesn't pretend to be anything except what it is, a small romantic comedy with some life affirming moments and a few quirks. Indeed, the plot quirks (without giving away too much) overshadow what was a simple film up to the end. I had the feeling that to some extent the writers didn't know how to finish their own story, and also wanted something to distinguish the film. Having said all of that, I liked the film. It wasn't pretentious and had its heart in the right place. Its not going to make you think, or win an Oscar, but its a worthwhile hour and a half.