I'm Reed Fish

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.

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.

A cute, small, character driven movie about a guy who looks 15 but is apparently in his mid 20's. On the eve of his wedding, his high school crush comes back to the small town where they grew up. Predictable angst ensues. The soundtrack is good if you like emo country soft rock. The performances are fine, too. Alexis Bledel is very lucky to get so much work considering she only has the one persona. Jay Baruchel channels Zach Braff, which brings me to the main problem with the movie. Unfortunately, it is hard to accept the reality of a town of gorgeous women who inexplicably love scrawny unattractive boys. Worth seeing if you can get it for free, otherwise wait for it to be on Lifetime or MTV.

Reed Fish (Jay Baruchel) hosts a radio call-in show whose audience is as loyal in spirit as it is infinitesimal in size. His listener-ship is comprised exclusively of the citizens of Mud Meadows, a small town discreetly nestled in the pine-encrusted mountains of Southern California (the movie was filmed in the scenic Big Bear area). Although he's come to be known as "The Voice of Mud Meadows" for keeping the town folk apprised on issues of concern to the local community, Fish really isn't all that happy with his life. He actually feels hemmed in by the restrictions of small town life and is beginning to have second thoughts about his impending marriage to a childhood friend, Kate (Alexis Bledel), whom he may be marrying more out of a sense of duty and obligation than out of genuine love or passion. His life gets even more complicated when Jill (Schuyler Fisk), a girl he once had a crush on, returns to Mud Meadows for the summer, stirring up old feelings in him and making him question even more the level of his commitment to Kate.

Based on a semi-autobiographical story by none other than Reed Fish himself, "I'm Reed Fish" is an utterly beguiling indie comedy, overflowing with sweet sentiment, rueful humor and outstanding performances by Baruchel, Fisk, Bledel, Victor Rasuk, Katey Sagal and Chris Parnell, well known from his work on "Saturday Night Live." Not only are the characters themselves immensely charming and likable but their responses to the situations they find themselves in are believable and touching as well. "I'm Reed Fish," written by Fish and directed by Zackary Adler, is smart about the complexities of romantic relationships, and the movie is filled with any number of beautiful and lovely moments, the most transcendent being the one in which Jill (Fisk) literally lights up the screen with her musical performance at a local pub. As a writer, Fish is scrupulously fair to the characters he's created, avoiding the obvious temptation to paint Kate, in particular, as a fool or a harridan just so he can enhance Jill's virtues in the viewer's eyes. This equanimity makes the protagonist's romantic dilemma all that much more compelling and empathetic for the audience caught up in the story.

As lagniappe, the writer has placed the story in an offbeat film-within-a-film framework that gives the movie an extra added kick at the end.