Omaha (the movie)

First, I want to openly say that I am from IOWA.....yet I still have a fascination with this movie. I first viewed this film on PBS, and had no clue as to what I was watching...little did I know that I would spend the next hour and a half engrossed in the escapades of a man being chased by Columbian jewel thieves in the Henry Doorly Zoo's Rainforest, and the former Omaha Stockyards...Although I had some disregard for the "Roving Iowa Kickboxers,"(whom I myself have never encountered)....this is a great movie to watch, when you are in the mood for something light and completely original....but to truly respect this film, I do believe that you have to be familiar with the Omaha area(those from Nebraska AND Iowa).

A friend of mine was in the cast as a FEDS agent (a non-speaking part, as I recall). He brought it over on DVD so I could see it. It was "interesting", but very much felt like an amateur film. A well made amateur film, though. Really boring and poorly written. It was probably fun to make and be involved in, but it definitely didn't deserve any kind of wide release. Maybe in Omaha they'd enjoy it, but this California girl was bored and honestly kind of embarrassed for my friend's involvement.

If this film maker has made or makes any more films, he really should try to have a really interesting story line, and GOOD actors. I'm sure this was a great learning tool for them. I wish them luck in the future, and hope they can improve their film making.

Having worked in Omaha for 2 years, this movie has enough fun and creative moments to rate a 9 from me. Even the credits are hilarious. (I'd guess the 1st reviewer needs a humor transplant.) Anyway, Director Dan Mirvish is a creative talent, Jill Anderson is great and this independent film rates wide viewer-ship. I learned about Carhedge, too. The family interactions in Omaha - the Movie are all too true, such as when Simon announces his inner peace quest to Nepal, (met with a "have fun" response from his couch potato dad!).The FBI bust scene is too funny. So, in short, see this film if you feel your sense of humor is above average. If you think it's dull, you'll have to stick with the evening news or horror/suspense movies.

It takes weird things to connect people to something, and for me this is a stranger situation than most would think. I used to do a little comic strip called "Sandy Duncan In the Land Of Wheat Thins" back in the mid-1980s, so when I saw Bob the charismatic guitar player performing "The Sandy Duncan Song" in this film -- about why she is in the middle of a wheat field just eating crackers -- I immediately took this film to heart!

But that's not all: Omaha (The Movie) is disarmingly funny, charming, and breezy entertainment. I never took the character Simon's plight too seriously and just enjoyed the sheer fun the film offered. The actors and non-actors alike do a fine job, and there are some surprisingly beautiful looking scenes throughout, along with an effective score. There are moments of brilliance along with some innovative cinematography. By accepting the silly goings-on, it was refreshing to see, literally, the hand-held subtitles during the Colombian jewel thieves' dialogues and even involving the guy who wrote and held them in the plot.

Poor Simon can't seem to find inner peace after returning from Nepal, and with his "prayer stones" that turn out to be sought-after emeralds, he and his gal pal (played with great zest by Jill Anderson) take off on a trip, being chased by the thieves. Amidst all this are some refreshingly strange scenes of renegade Iowan kickboxers, a chase through a labrynthian cow corral, the wildest haircut scene since Edward Scissorhands, and romance at the pseudo-famous Carhenge!

I was fortunate enough to get this on DVD complete with audio commentary and other extras, exclusive to the March/April 2002 issue of Total Movie & Entertainment magazine. I feel overjoyed when I'm presented with such a nice surprise as in a little film like Omaha (The Movie) and hopefully those who weren't able to catch it at film festivals will be able to find it like I did (if the magazine offers back issues, it's worth the effort to seek this one out). Director Dan Mirvish shows a lot of promising talent, I'd love to see Jill Anderson doing more films, and it just makes my day to be entertained so thoroughly by an extremely independent film such as this. Great work visually as well as in the storytelling.

I will always hold "The Sandy Duncan Song" close to my heart!

I've seen this movie about a dozen times. It's always fun to see places and people you know or recognize in a movie, but in this case, it's especially exciting to see actors whom I have come to know as true treasures and stalwarts of Omaha's arts community. The movie is silly, but in a very loving way. And if I had not seen this movie, I might never have visited Carhenge!