The Journey of Jared Price

I have been harsh in my scoring of this film because I know it couldn't have been easy to make for the money but what lacks here to satisfy the viewer is a comprehensively decent narrative. This film stands as a record of gay film making in 2001 and yet sadly and portentously has given birth to a plethora of US gay titles that probably saw this film as the ceiling of what could be achieved for gay film and that other film makers have chosen to poorly copy or make less inspiring or aspirant films.

That said obviously it was a good lesson for the writer/director - he went on to win an Oscar for a film that did break through that glass ceiling (but let us hope that this was not just down to a much bigger budget by several degrees of magnitude nor solely because of a great cast or director because gay film in 2010 and beyond needs to get better and reach further.)

With the knowledge that Dustin went onto write and win that Oscar for MILK and looking at this film I wonder if it isn't more autobiographical than we think? Ten out of ten for progressing on from this first stab at a film, it was a valiant effort but just not enough for me to fully embrace it. But essentially thanks Dustin for persevering and writing MILK. Oh and my god you're good looking!

An innocent, sexually confused young man arrives from Georgia in Los Angeles to discover life on his own. Thus, begins the low-budget movie "The Journey of Jared Price," a sometimes-amateurish, sometimes-charming tale that has an old-fashioned message at its heart. Corey Spears is Jared, and the young actor oozes clean-cut innocence throughout the film. When a predatory older man with a set of his own problems attempts to exploit Jared, the young boy begins to open his eyes to the ways of the world. While Jared matures from the experience, he becomes more assured and comfortable with himself rather than bitter or jaded.

Jared's first job in Los Angeles is companion to a blind older woman, played by Rocki Craigg, who hires him literally sight unseen after barely hearing the sound of his voice. Although she locks her doors tight and screens visitors before opening to them, the woman apparently hears something reassuring in Jared's voice, because he is hired before any discussion of salary is even mentioned. Unfortunately, this implausibility is only one of several that litter the script. The young man's continuous use of a camcorder is another. He barely has enough money for a room in a hostel, yet batteries and videotape seem to be endlessly abundant to him.

The film also has a message with a capital M. Unfortunately, Ms. Craigg must relate most of that message to her young employee through stories from her youth. Thus, she is saddled with some of the film's most cumbersome dialog. Considering that this is the only film on Ms. Craigg's resume, she performs as well as can be expected, but, sauntering around the house without hesitation, she is not convincing as a blind woman.

Steve Tyler does a better job as the predatory son of the blind woman, and Josh Jacobson is convincing as the love interest or, perhaps better said, the young love interest. However, the film primarily rests on the shoulders of Corey, who appears in most scenes, and ably projects the right mixture of charm, innocence, and appeal. The film's timeworn message: choose carefully between the lure of material goals and the joy of true love, is not a subtle one, but it remains valid. Despite the movie's slightly rough-around-the-edges and on-the-cheap quality, "The Journey of Jared Price" will charm viewers with its simple story and old-fashioned message, and Corey as Jared will find a welcome place in your heart by fadeout.

This is a true little gem, a gay indie with a small but solid and very endearing story. Yes, it's poorly executed, the photography is gritty, the handheld camera at times gets on your nerves, the sound is bad, as is at times the lighting. But when you take into account that they did it in only five days and on a budget (if you can even call it as such) of only 3000 dollars, then it's simply amazing what they came up with!

This surprising result is certainly due to a good script and dialogues (not surprising, knowing that writer/director Dustin Lance Black was some 8 years later also the writer for the movie "Milk"!), but also to the space that the director gave the actors for improvising. And particularly due to young Corey Spears as Jared, he is not only cute as a puppy, but totally convincing as the innocent, artless newbie in the big city of LA, polite and honest to everyone, trying to cope with his confusing sexual feelings, and trying to maintain his personal integrity when challenged by an opportunistic sexual predator. I especially liked the interaction between Jared and his old employer Mrs. Haines (Rocki Craig), it was so caring, and Mrs. Haines's frequent advice was so full of simple wisdom!

Even without knowing all the production details (which I only afterwards learned from the "making of"-extra on the dvd) I absolutely loved this film, but knowing the extremely limited time and budget it's a major achievement, kudos for that!

THE JOURNEY OF JARED PRICE is a small budget Indie that has so much going for it that overlooking the squeaky production values is not a problem. Though it is obvious that the film was made in a short time with a minimal budget (the quality of the film is washed out to almost variations of gray), the direction and the cast serve the screenplay by writer/director Dustin Lance Black well. It has some very fine moments.

Jared Price (Corey Spears), 19 naïve years of age, arrives in Los Angeles from Georgia with high hopes and little money and checks into a youth hostel where he meets Robert (Josh Jacobson) who is more than casually attentive to the oblivious but interested Jared, and finds a job as an attendant to blind woman Mrs. Haines (Rocki Craigg), a kind and wise wealthy lonely lady whose son Matthew (Steve Tyler) is 'paying for' someone to give his mother the attention she needs. Jared and Mrs. Haines quickly bond, each supplying the care and tenderness the other needs. Matthew is living the high life on his mother's wealth and is in a long-term (but only partially non-monogamous) relationship with Andrew (Bryan Shyne) and when he meets Jared the signals go up and Matthew introduces Jared to his first physical relationship. Matthew's only conscience is his work partner Kate (Gillian Harris) who warns Matthew to be true to Andrew and not to pursue Jared. But as the tryst between Matthew and Jared deepens, each of the men learns more about himself and what is actually important in life and the story ends with enlightened views of the meaning of love.

Each of the actors does a fine job finding the core of each character and there is enough comedy to keep the drama afloat. Yes, there are scenes of bedroom activity, but they for the most part are done with taste. This is a fine example of how a good story and crew can make a good movie on a minimal budget. Were that there were more of these...Grady Harp

Corey Spears (who also plays a bit part in Traffic) does an amazing job of pulling off the role of a young man shoved into reality (and self-discovery) in L.A.

The film was shot in 5 days on about $30K, but doesn't look that way. The plot is solid, the characters well developed - a tribute to a very talented director and production/editing team.

The press once characterized this as an "after school special", but I think it's much more.

Check it out - it's worthy of rental - and possible permanently adding to your DVD collection.