Reverse the Curse

I found myself bored through much of this movie. I thought it moved at a snail's pace and was filled with too much meaningless dialogue. In addition to those issues, I was thrown off by the unbelievability of a central plot point, a hoax perpetrated by an adult son to lift the spirits of his dying father, a diehard Boston Red Sox fan played by David Duchovny. I almost threw in the towel on this one, but I'm glad I hung in there because I very much enjoyed the final twenty minutes or so. A movie's ending can greatly affect your overall experience, and in this case, it made Reverse the Curve at least a worthwhile watch for me.

I know David Duchovny had a good run back in the days with the hit series "X-Files. I never saw the show but noticed recently he's been involved with a number of projects as a director, writer, and actor. And I must say, several of his newer movies have really impressed me. Especially this one. It also stars Logan Marshall-Greene and Stephanie Beatriz. I loved her character she played in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," but she proves here that she can play a lot more than a snarky, hard-assed cop.

When Marty (Duchovny) discovers he has cancer, his estranged son Ted (Marshall-Greene) decodes to take care of him. The two have a lot to work out, since their relationship wasn't the best. The grief counselor Mariana (Beatriz) assisted to Marty is a sweet, lovely woman and before long, Ted ands up falling for her. All this action takes place against the backdrop of the Boston Red Sox and their battle with the Yankees to win the pennant. The "Curse" in the title refers to the famous "Curse of the Bambino"which, if your a fan of the game, you'll know what it signifies.

Well, the pennant race isn't going quite like they wanted it to, so Ted arranges for Marty's friend to engage in a bit of clever deception--faking a Boston winning streak. This proves to be one of the funnier parts of the film. The interactions between father and son are equally amusing and poignant. Marty is an old advertising guy (as am I), and he has all sorts of tales to tell.

This movie was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. If you're in the mood for something a bit different, be sure to check out this little indie flick. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

--MovieJunkieMark.

Could have titled this review Home Run or Third Base or something, but figured those titles should be taken. The New York Times didn't fully do their research, missing a positive tipping point in Duchovny's work. RTC AKA BUCKY was a screenplay long before it was a book. The book came from the frustration David experienced trying to get the film made. It took so long that he went from playing the son, with great actors interested in playing the dad, to him, David, playing the dad. This is only one of the delicious tidbits that make up this meal of a movie. RTC is a unique blend of fantasy and reality. It goes way beyond the fantasy the guys try to create for Marty. It's a hopeful reality piece about the healing of relationships & how long it can take to understand our own behavior. Maybe death has to be present as a witness in order for us to finally feel safe doing so. It's about marrying your dream girl and having great kids with her, even though you made some mistakes early on that might have made her hate you and/or write you off. From mistakes in facial hair to the non-trivial variety. It's about the balance of the things in life that make you want to live forever and the things that make you want to give up. It's about how sports don't really matter, but how indeed they do. It's about people. Of any era. It's a study in flaws and about the coexistence of good and bad. It's about how even if we root for one team, we can't help but see the value in some of the players in the opposing team. And how we embody all of that. Plus REVERSE THE CURSE has a ton of Duchovny-brand humor, some baseball, some history presented correctly & oops tinged with fantasy. And it's got a kick-ass song at its beautiful surprise close. Find the couple of hours to treat yourself.

This film is about three people brought together by one thing, impending death. Marty (David Duchovny) has a fatal illness. Marty's only child, Ted (Logan Marshall-Green) a Peanut slinger. Mariana (Stephanie Beatriz) is Marty's 'Death Nurse' someone who helps make a persons last days a little better. Ted decides to also make Marty's brief future a little better as well. I really enjoyed this film that Duchovny wrote and directed as well. It will make you laugh, feel good, and at times shed a tear or two. The supporting cast was strong as well with Pamela Adlon (Blauner), Jason Beghe (Tango Sam), Evan Handler (Benny), Santo Fazio (Shticker) and Daphne Rubin-Vega (Eva). This film will definitely make you decide to call your Dad especially if you haven't done so in a while.

I was lucky enough to catch this movie at the Glasgow film festival. The basic story is an estranged son comes back into his fathers life after a cancer diagnosis. It sounds like it could be a little depressing, quite the opposite. It has many light hearted moments,and some down right hilarious ones. The theatre was laughing practically throughout the entire movie. David & Logan have great chemistry and work well as the father son duo with a matching sarcastic humour. The more dramatic scenes are brilliant too, they appear more toward the end. The movie has a lot to offer, I laughed, I cried, I left the cinema completely satisfied. A Beautifully charming heart warming little movie. Well done to David for the great writing, and Logan Marshall-Green for always delivering a steller performance .