Jump Tomorrow

Well this film I think is more about sighing than laughing...

Saw the preview of this long ago, in a lifetime before kids, and back then thought that my wife and I would enjoy this film. Finally watched it recently and for me the film held up its part of the bargain.

I think some of the disappointment for this film is a bit heavy-handed for a very indie film from a first-time director. The film is somewhere between quaint and cute, and there is a time and place for that, no? The french version of Cupid was a bit trying on my nerves, but absolutely essential...and even he is given his epiphany, as are the male and female romantic interests, the initially wrongly-aimed arrows of love. They are both exotic on the outside, but all too familiar. It may be that the mute uncle says the most, but then less is often more.

Still, I think for many this film will have an appeal, as many people feel that they are on the wrong track of the wrong life at times. Having the male as the demure one also should have made this more appealing to my wife, but for some reason she did not get caught up in the film. I thought he was exceptionally well cast, and while he's probably nowhere near that awkward in real life, he certainly tapped into a neurosis as old as the Euphrates.

The Walter Mitty fantasies that George/Jorge uses for his form of losing himself worked less as comedy for me, but more as an underscoring of George's lack of ownership of his own life.

Many of the films loose ends were nicely tied together, and using Niagara Falls as the climactic setting, was a crucial cliché. Taking the plunge was well paralleled.

I see the next film from this director had him working with Dustin Hoffman, I'll check it out hopefully. But perhaps director/writer Joel Hopkins was not the indie wunderkind (or wunderBrit) I suspected. As mentioned in another review, he did license "Instant Karma" for a pivotal scene (and the words worked quite well I thought...).

Anyways that film looks like it touches on the despair and redemption of love too, so I'll try to entice my wife to watch that with me.

6.5/10 Thurston Hunger

A few years before JUMP TOMORROW was filmed, the same leading man (Tunde Adebimpe) starred in a shorter version of this script entitled "Jorge". I have not seen the original film, so I cannot base my review on it but I was so taken by JUMP TOMORROW that I'm going to try to find a copy of this 30 minute short.

Adebimpe very ably plays a Nigerian-American (George) who is a very odd man, indeed and I loved his low-key performance. In many ways he's a total geek and it's nice to finally see a Black nerd in a film who is NOT "Steve Urkel"! During most of the film, George is very quiet and shy--part of which is due to his introverted personality and part is due to his lack of enthusiasm for a pending arranged marriage. This film is about his trek from home to Niagra Falls to be wed.

Along the way, he meets up with a very strange man (Gerard) who is suicidal and desperately in need of a friend. While George is in a hurry to get to his wedding, he is too decent a man to leave Gerard in his emotional condition. So, they travel together cross country to the wedding and they both become very unlikely friends.

There's MUCH more to this movie that this--including a tough to believe but nice romance that occurs between George and a new lady--again, someone who seems so unlike George in almost every way. While this aspect of the film is a tad predictable, the performances and dialog are so fresh and unusual that the film held my interest throughout. As a result, I strongly recommend you see this romantic-comedy if you are looking for something different from the usual Hollywood offerings.

This is an outstanding film, everyone gave a wonderful performance and they were obviously having a good time also. It did not have to compete with the set locations or special effects. The lead actor who played George had never acted before, are you kidding me? Hard to believe how much fun this movie was. If you have missed this movie you missed a comedy gold mine- like a certain cast member taking a bath in a champagne glass! This movie needs to be re-released or something, it did not get the credit it deserved.

As in reply to an earlier post, I do not think the story line referred to the wonders-of-a-Latin-American-family-making-your-life-worth-living as much as it showed how wrong it was to base all of your actions in your life on the opinions of family members that seemed more concerned with appearances than with you. Alicia's family was not worried about the fact that she was backpacking across the country with a pretentious, conceited white guy-that was her business. They were just glad that she was home and proud to share their home and culture with her friends. George could see this was how family was supposed to be and this was a safe place to open up. Also introduced him to more of Alicia's charms I must admit. But still all in all, she could have been Polish or Israeli for all that-it was still a welcoming family. Can they help it that Latin Americans are just more fun than your average Nigerian? (kidding!)

This movie is very light. All characters are very well in there roles, specially Natalia Verbeke, that is very beautiful and passional in this movie. And i can't forget about the score. All musics are very similar to brazilian "bossa nova". The soundtrack gives a very pleasant atmosphere to this movie.

Jump Tomorrow is one of those smart and funny films you just can't help but like. A first time effort from writer/director Joel Hopkins , Jump Tomorrow is a fresh breath of air and an absolute relief from the bevy of re-hashed romantic comedies which find their way into theaters. At the center of Jump Tomorrow is George (portrayed by first time star Tunde Adebimpe), a very serious, composed, and all too contained Nigerian. At times George reminds me of Woody Allen or M. Hulot as he awkwardly stumbles through his life on a journey to the inevitable. But it's the journey that has an impact on George and watching that change is both humorous and entertaining.

Joel Hopkins has a lot of the same qualities as director Wes Anderson (who directed the fantabulous Rushmore) - he has a sense of framing, music and pacing that is funny, but not at the expense of the characters. Over the course of the movie you really get to know and like these characters, feel for their struggle and can revel in their personal triumphs. It's rare that you get that from a Romantic Comedy, and for that I'd definitely recommend Jump Tomorrow. Think of it as the perfect 'indie' date movie!