Her Minor Thing

I was lucky enough to see the world primer of "Her minor Thing" at the Seattle International Film Festival. The director, writers, producers, and the two main actors (Christian Kane and Estella Warren) were also attending. After a introduction be the SIFF coordinator and a short film called "Hello" the film begin.

I won't walk you through every single scene of the film, but I will give you my overall impressions. Charles Matthau, as always, directed the project brilliantly: the editing, sound, and camera angles were all used to exploit a reaction from the audience along with the actors' performances. I went to the film with mixed feelings about seeing yet another "romantic comedy", a term that is almost used as a curse word nowadays, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised.

Unlike most comedies were the girl is sobbing on the couch after her so-called true love did something completely horrid and uncaring, Warren's character was a girl who wasn't afraid to take matters into her own hands without proceeding into the "b***h" territory. Warren really brought her character away from the bright, bubbly, damsel in distress area and made this girl her own. Some of the events were slightly obvious and contrived, like as soon as we saw Kane's character we knew he would end up with Warren's, and the meetings between these characters seemed to be unrealistic, but hey, it's a low-budget comedy, give credit were it's due.

Other than that issue, I really couldn't find anything else to dislike about the film. Christian Kane's character wasn't the perfect man, he had issue that he had to deal with just like a real person. The supporting cast, such as Rachel Dratch, Flex Alexander, Kathy Griffin, and David Fine stole many of the scenes in which they were in or even just standing in the background (watch out for Charles Matthau's cameo with the fork scene). The performance were all very well done, Christian Kane proved why he had such a strong fan base and Estella Warren showed that she can stand toe to toe with any well known leading man or lady and still give as good as she gets.

The main thing I really appreciated about this film was there was no "fall down" humor. All the humor was from real life situations (having to get directions to the airport), the actors' reactions (look for Kane's "is this girl nuts" look), the actual dialogue (midget porn), and just through the characters themselves (the petty fight for the basketball). No one tripped or got hit by a door, which is a nice change of pace from the current romantic "comedy".

All in all, this film is good. It's not "Love Actually", but it can certainly hold it's own next to it. If there is a wide release of "Her Minor Thing" be sure to catch it in theatres, you won't be disappointed.

Saw this last night at the premiere in Sacramento, CA. This happens to be where it was filmed and I am thinking the rating for this movie (7 out of 10 as of last look) is from a lot of those people. Unfortunatlely, these people were probably so overjoyed that their city was finally featured in a movie, they thought they were rating the movie experience, and not the movie itself.

About the movie....I can summarize that up quickly... weak script, hot babe who cannot act and has language issues, a few memorable lines of which I have forgotten now, and a descent display of the city. Overall, I would not recommend this unless all your laundry is done, you have dyed your fro, your one friend has canceled your date to the fair, and you must attend a funeral tomorrow. If all these things are true, then by all means, find this movie and go see it.

The script is so weak that I am embarrassed that the two writers came from Sacramento. I'm moving....

Most people have covered the great aspects of this film, but I will add my two cents into the mix and say that I picked this film up on a whim from the video store. This funny, sweet film covers a basic idea: be true to yourself, believe in love, and it will come to you.

The actors, especially the highly underrated Christian Kane, really drive this film home. He acts with his eyes, and can convey a host of emotions with a glance, a nod, or a tilt of his head. Michael Weatherly's smarmy character is a fresh change from his usual heroic ones, and wow, a Maxim cover model, Estella Warren, who is more than a pretty face. I love it when I don't expect much and I get pleasantly surprised. It, unfortunately, doesn't happen that often. With this film, and with this cast, I was pleased.

What I also like is that, even though it is a newer film, the director didn't do the jostle the camera, zoom in and out crap that is so popular now. I watched fifteen minutes of "I Am Sam" and was 'car sick' from the multitude of angles, jostling, bouncing and zooming. I never have watched it all.

The Special Features part notes that the film is Independent, and low budget. This is proof positive that spending millions on the special effects and the big name actors doesn't net you a winner. I haven't seen anything in a long time I enjoyed so much.

One more thing: Note the Jeana character's favorite actor is Walter Matthau, the father of this film's director.

Having seen this film last night at the Sacramento Film Festival I have a few comments if you are considering this movie. This movie is billed as a "Romantic Comedy." I didn't think it was romantic and it sure as heck was not a comedy. If you like half baked cakes, Sanka coffee, Nutrasweet or Fat Free food this movie may be for you. If you like napping all day, using duct tape, driving a Jetta or jabbing a stick in your eye this movie may be for you. If you like eating wet cookies, using a push lawn mower or drinking Ensure this movie may be perfect for you. Estella warren tried really hard to be likable but she only shows one emotion and it is humdrum at best. There were several funny bits in the movie from unknown actors who should have had more screen time than the leads. I understand this was an independent movie but the one thing not to skimp on is the script. The first time effort of the Meyers duo was half baked. Don't quit your day job.

In closing don't waste your time. The movies story foundation is weak and does not support the 90 minutes of torture it puts you through.

Jeana (the lovely Estella Warren) has been dating a dashing television newsman, Tom (Michael Weatherley) for awhile. But, wonder of wonders, they have not become intimately involved. This is because 20-something Jeana is still a virgin and wants their first lovemaking session to be very special. They are planning a cruise vacation to that end. One day, Tom lets it slip on his show that his girlfriend is still as pure as the driven snow. This sets a series of events in motion for Jeana, as the media and a growing number of hopeful men arrive on her doorstep, hoping to be the "first". Beautiful Jeana is ticked off at Tom and the couple, once on the verge of matrimony, is having serious problems. One big trouble is that their cruise tickets are non-refundable, as explained by a travel agent (the funny Victoria Jackson). By happenstance, Jeana meets another attractive gentleman who doesn't appear to be putting the moves on her but wants a nice friendship first. What will Jeana do? This is a very minor film in the grand scheme of cinema. It has an interesting premise but ends up going nowhere fast. The lovely Warren is the best reason to see the film, as she is not only gorgeous but brings intelligence and sweetness to her role. Weatherly is quite handsome, too, and succeeds in making his character appropriately annoying. The rest of the cast is fine, with Jackson an absolute stitch as the agent. Yes, the film looks nice, with good costumes, sets, and amenities. But, the script and direction are, well, mostly boring and pointless, with little imagination. If you are a fan of Warren's, you will want to take a chance on this one. After all, you can always turn down the sound. Most romcom fans might give it a whirl, too, since a new movie in this genre is almost always welcome. But, everyone else should skip the flick, as you will be twiddling your thumbs before 15 minutes has passed.