30-Love

I'm a fan of small indie movies and this is a good one. While is focuses on a man's obsession with succeeding in a sport, it certainly goes in a different direction from any sports movie you've seen. The main character's striving in tennis in his grief for his late wife, even as he neglects his infant child, is disturbing to watch. Though shot on a tiny budget, the film is stylishly directed, expertly photographed and edited, and features a terrific use of background music. It is also good to see Brenda Vaccaro back on the big screen in a key role in this film.

To be fair I only put this on cause I was looking for another tennis film to watch. The opening scene left me saying, this is terrible what is this. But gave it some time and was really surprised at how good it was. Very simple narrative told with a heart. Thoughtful, Funny and tight script not at all fluffy with very good performances all round. I was routing for the guy. And shot for just 30k. Well worth a watch.

This is a small film with a big heart. Having Ira Heffler on board as the co-writer was a very smart move on the part of first-time filmmaker, Robert Cannon. Directing and starring in the film is a challenge, but I think Mr. Cannon held his own quite well playing the the grieving husband of his wife who just died in childbirth. This is information that is given at the very beginning of the film s it's not a surprise. Brenda Vaccaro is touching as the Mother of his deceased wife. Writing about loss and grief is always challenging, and I think this film addresses it in a thoughtful way. The metaphor of tennis, of learning how to play the game well is a great idea and used very successfully in this film. I think all of the actors are quite strong - large and small roles. I would like to see more from Mr. Cannon and Mr. Heffler - and I always enjoy Ms. Vaccaro's work.

This is not your typical feel-good movie of the year. This is a realistic glimpse into a father's ability to parent after a dramatic loss. Misdirected grief takes you on a tragic journey that keeps you in a constant feeling of pain and struggle for the main character as you hope to see him hero his way out. Obsessed with the idea of learning to play tennis we see how other parts of life fade to the background. This story will have you playing sides on what is right or wrong.

30-Love never goes where you think it will. And that's a good thing. At turns, very funny, very disturbing, very enjoyable, 30-Love offers a character study of an anti-hero much more in line with the great anti-heroes of the 1970's (think Jack Nicholson in FIVE EASY PIECES) than much of what we see in today's cinema.

The movie follows a grieving husband who has no idea how to deal with his grief at the loss of his wife or how to deal with the baby he now has to raise on his own. He decides to channel all his rage, confusion, sorrow into becoming a great tennis player within a year to fulfill a sports desire of his wife.

In the process, we see him fight with his in-laws, make some horrible parenting decisions, and become increasingly obsessive.

Filmmaker Robert Cannon, co-writer Ira Heffler, and the entire cast and crew really work to make a singular movie here. Very often the movie feels like it's going to fly off the rails with its tonal lurches left and right, from almost slapstick comedy to emotional darkness. But, forgive the pun here, the cast and crew definitely ace the serve.

The moviemakers clearly intended to mess with the expectations that come from a "ROCKY" type sports story. But they do it in a very smart, constantly unpredictable way that really makes you, sometimes against your will, acknowledge the flawed, complicated psychology that exists inside all of us.

This is definitely not your movie if you're looking for "Rudy"-like inspiration and "you can achieve anything if you believe in your dreams" type messaging. But if you're looking for an unpredictable movie, inspiring for how effective it is on such a low budget, this is a movie well worth checking out. You'll long remember it. It will stick with you in a rewarding way. And that's often the mark of a truly good picture.