Julian Po

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.

This movie has an intriguing plot that is carried out by strange and wonderful characters. It examines one man's time spent in a small town where the townspeople put undue faith and expectations on him.

Because the people believe the man's time is coming to an end, they seek guidance and knowledge from him that he isn't necessarily qualified to give.

The subsequent changes in people and their stories carry the audience through a variety of emotions and leave one contemplating the nature of human existence.

Highly recommended. Slater and Tunney are particularly good.

Julian Po is a film that I hadn't heard of until a casual channel surf stumbled me onto HBO. I was hooked immediately. The characters in this town are so unbelievably strange and almost creepy. Julian (Christian Slater) is a wanderer, narrating his own story, who goes to a small town in order to end his life. When the townspeople find out, it becomes a sort of obsession with them. The children follow him through the streets, he's offered gifts from shop owners, and a beautiful, intense woman, Sarah, (Robin Tunney) falls in love with him, creating a very karmic bond between the two of them. Ironically, in the course of his procrastinating his death, he changes the lives of everyone around him. They ask him for advice in life matters. A man "comes out of the closet", a Priest denounces God, etc..

Julian Po left me sad. It doesn't end the way anyone would think, but it left me with one recurrent theme running through my head. Life is a beautiful thing, not to be taken for granted. Never make life or death decisions when you haven't even experienced life. And maybe one more thing... a real man sticks to his obligations... :-)

Indeed, if it's simple, it works. But the irony herein lies when you realize that simplicity and deep thought combinations, make extraordinary things. And this film, in my opinion, is simply delightful. Simple purpose, yet very thought-provoking in itself. I'd recommend it in a heartbeat. Being one of the few who find that the critics aren't always "up to par" so to speak, I think this flick was definately worth it's weight in gold. Go have some fun. Watch this. And when you're through, though you may be left saying "Uh... but..." see if you don't feel the same.

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.