Julian Po

"Julian Po" can be described as a darkly comedic drama with romantic undertones. Mostly, though, "Julian Po" is just strange.

The film stars Christian Slater in the title role and, in terms of a very basic plot, somewhat resembles Hal Hartley's "Henry Fool." Like Henry, Julian wanders into an unnamed town and turns its residents' lives into a frenzy. However, unlike the joyfully arrogant Mr. Fool, Julian is glum, mysterious, and basically wants to stay anonymous.

A 30-year-old bookkeeper, he apparently was on his way to the sea when his car broke down, and he decided to stop in the little town. He checks into a broken-down hotel and immediately his presence strikes up curiosity in the weirdo townspeople. Thanks to the redneck-ish hotel manager ... the town mayor, his wife, the sheriff, the priest, etc. are all soon aware of Julian. They are also very suspicious of him! Some of them think he's a drug dealer, and the mayor's wife also convinces many of them that Julian is some sort of serial killer and has come to their town to kill again. Finally, they confront Julian in a restaurant, bombarding him with questions and demanding to know why he is there. Julian blurts out his answer; he did in fact come to the town to kill somebody ... himself.

This is where the movie gets really odd. All of a sudden, the townspeople are fascinated by Julian! They start stopping by his hotel room to chat and bring gifts. They confide their darkest secrets; they also come to Julian for advice, and take what he tells them to heart. A whole bunch of the townspeople, led by a gang of young boys, literally follow him around everywhere. The hotel manager presents him with a gun to do the deed, and an old woman even starts taking bets on which day Julian will "off" himself!

Julian is baffled by this, and vaguely annoyed, but mostly he humors the townsoddballs. And when a pretty young woman named Sarah comes to his hotel room, tells Julian she has been waiting for him all her life, and starts kissing him ... he's thrilled. (*spoiler alert*)Unfortunately, Julian's relationship with Sarah leads her to take her own life, as some kind of love proclamation. The townsfolk aren't happy with this; as a result, they more or less force Julian to do what he came to do.

Quirky as that story might sound, surprisingly "Julian Po" works. I've seen the film a few times now, and it's one of those movies I like a little more with each viewing. Writer-director Alan Wade succeeds at both of his jobs, particularly with his offbeat script. And Patrick Williams' score is lovely, haunting, and effective.

However, the strongest of "Julian Po"'s assets are its characters -- and the talented cast that brings these characters to life. Christian Slater is fabulous as Julian! Tunney brings a nice intensity to her portrayal of the sweater-knitting Sarah.

Also noteworthy, in smaller roles, are: Cherry Jones as the hotel manager's mute housekeeper sister who may or may not have a crush on Julian (though her inquisitive eyes and perpetual frown might bug some at first); Allison Janney as the gossipy, busybody mayor's wife, Lilah Leech; Jeremy Jordan as Bobby, a mechanic who wants to be a movie star -- despite the fact that he says "Are you talking' to me?!" in the same tone he says everything else; Dina Spybey as Bobby's mousy blonde wife, who pledges to do anything for Julian; and Zeljko Ivanek as the men's clothing store owner -- who confesses to Julian his crush on Leon, the town sheriff. Many members of this cast are staples on Broadway, and that shows in their performances. ("Julian Po" is in fact very play-like.)

I must also give mention to young Io Tillett Wright. Miss Wright is a girl, but if I didn't happen to know that fact ... well, let's just say her portrayal of a boy named Walter makes Hilary Swank in "Boys Don't Cry" look like the girliest icon of femininity. Wright looks like a boy, walks like a boy, talks like a boy. I guess it's a testament to Wright's acting skills, but it did make me wonder -- why not just cast a boy?

There are a few things wrong with "Julian Po" that make me unable to rate it higher than I did. One big problem I had with the movie was its portrayal of the town pastor. At first, he is just kind of overearnest. Later on, though, a talk with Julian leads to a sermon in which the pastor announces, with great zeal, that he doesn't believe in God. This is yet another similarity the film shares with "Henry Fool" ... but at least in 'Henry' the pastor was more of a doubter ... and not an out-and-out goon like the pastor in this movie. Granted, almost everybody in "Julian Po" is a goon -- but, still, I do get tired of almost all religious characters in movies being played as evil or foolish. It's so unoriginal. Religion does not always make someone a bad guy.

But my other gripes about "Julian Po" are mostly minor...e.g. the film takes awhile to get into. Overall, if you're a fan of small quirky movies, "Julian Po" is worth checking out. And if you don't like it at first, give it another chance...it just might grow on you.

Julian Po (Christian Slater) is headed to the beach. A bookkeeper by profession, his life is not evolving the way he wanted it to, so he has quit his job in favor of this quest. However, before he reaches the beloved ocean of his dreams, his car breaks down and he walks to the nearest town. Talk about an unwelcoming committee! Although he is rented a room at a boarding house, Julian is immediately under intense scrutiny and avid speculation. All of the town folks, the mayor (Harve Presnell), his wife (Allison Janney), and the rest are convinced that Mr. Po is a killer-drifter, a con-artist, or, well, fill in the blank. Finally confronting him on his second day, at a diner, the residents are startled to hear that Julian's main plan is to commit suicide. All of a sudden, he is extended the hand of friendship for choosing their village as "the spot". The barber gives him a free haircut, stating that undertakers do lousy work, and Julian also gets a new suit, delicious muffins, and a marriage proposal from beautiful Sarah (Robin Tunney). It's heady stuff. Soon, kids are betting on what day the deed will be done and folks are coming to Julian for advice and fervent goodbyes. But, now Julian is not so sure what he wants, especially with the lovely Sarah in his life. Will Mr. Po follow through? This is a delightful movie, with an outstanding script of humor and insight. The credits state that it is based on a classic foreign novel, which is unfamiliar to most, but Alan Wade did a great adaptation of the work. Also fine are the cast members, including Slater, Tunney, Janney, Presnell, Cherry Jones, and all, all of the others. The small town setting is a beautiful, the costumes are well-chosen, and the cinematography and direction are most competent. The only caveat may be that the film's jacket doesn't do it justice, giving few clues to the strength of the story. Therefore, if you passed it by at the video store, thinking it appeared dull, ponder again. Po is not "po" but very rich.

I saw it on one of the arts channels 2 days in a row last year and was surprised at how much better it was the second time. It's an unusual movie, to be sure, the type that doesn't make a ton of money but it IS a good film. It has good direction, good characters and a good cast. You don['t walk away feeling like you've been hit in the face with a ton of bricks. Its much more subtle than that. And it doesn't take a great stretch of the imagination to realize that this is a slightly different version of the last 3 days in the life of Jesus. I'm serious. Watch it again with this idea in mind and watch all the pieces fall together. I'm by no means a religious person and this is not a religious movie but the parallels are there. Like I said, watch it again, its worth your time.

Poetic, tragic, pathetic, funny, and romantic do not do this movie justice. A great and subtle piece of film-making with great performances and a splendid and unobtrusive soundtrack. There are no easy answers. There is no Hollywood ending.... See this movie!

I can't believe the tone of the external reviews linked to this entry...these guys didn't get this film at all!!! What in god's name did the bozos expect from a film adapted from a novel in French by an author of obvious Eastern European descent?

"Julian Po" is a fable, folks, about life and death and all the states in between. It's funny and sad and bewildering and tragicomic in the way good European fiction can be and even good American fiction rarely is. It's beautifully cast with people from some of my favorite TV series, from "West Wing" to "Homicide" to "Remember WENN" and from some damn good films such as "Fargo" and "Kill Bill". It also has Christian Slater's best performance since "Heathers" and manages to be "quirky" in a way different from those generic indie films that equate quirkiness with quality.

It IS a little slow, because it moves at the pace of life, but this allows it time to fill each moment with the stuff of life. It misses being great because it doesn't have the final twist that takes it beyond our expectations, but it is nonetheless the best surprise I've come across in several years -- a genuine small, unheralded, lost gem.

Please don't read too much about it before you see it. Judge for yourself, with your heart and your head. This film should appeal to both parts of your anatomy.