Cleaverville

This picture could have been excellent if it weren't for the script and director.

Cleaverville's plot line read like a soap opera with a gorgeous scam artist Grace drugging a "bad guy" and ending up with a bag of diamonds that she didn't expect to find. It turns out the diamonds belong to a mafioso"Godmother". With nowhere else to turn, Grace heads home to her mother Kay's house. But, there's no love to be found there. Of course living with Kay is her grand-daughter Laura and across the street is Laura's father thrown into the mix. You get the drift. One big dysfunctional family.

While I can handle and enjoy hokey, the truly hokey parts made me cringe. The dialogue in these parts were awful, direct, and handled poorly by the director. You can blame him for most of what's wrong with this picture. The acting was exceptional for such a semi-poorly written screenplay. They were so close to having a gold product. But, allowed the script to get in the way. While shooting each scene, if the director had thought about how it would look on screen, he would have changed some of the awful dialogue into something not so cheesy. It's not that hard if you think and plan ahead.

A prime example is the very last line the Mafioso "Godmother" says. It's one of the worst pieces of dialogue a writer could come up with. It's dialogue like this, that ruins the excellent banter between these characters.

There were also plot points that were either quickly glossed over or ignored.

Grace's drug problem was a major one. I might have missed the one piece of dialogue that said she was clean. But, for someone who was absent for 16 years because of this, there wasn't a moment of her looking, taking or thinking about getting high. She did sniffle a few times, which brought glances from her mother.

Laura first comes off as being a Saintly young lady who is an A student. But, she's almost as crooked as everyone else in this movie. Her best friend/someday boyfriend conveniently makes all the phony ID needed in their Catholic High School. Grace of course needs new ID.

Kay has her own set of problems. While you can understand why Grace turned out the way she did. Kay turned over a new leaf with Laura. So, Laura turning out "bad" is unbelievable. Laura should be a Saint.

Even with the myriad of problems this script has, it was still an enjoyable movie. It just could have been a multiple viewing type movie.

Rose/Grace (Ever Carradine) and her partner Danny steal from unsuspecting men. Their latest mark Michael (Jeff Wincott) is a dangerous man transporting diamonds for Magaret Quinn (Susan Hogan). Danny doublecrosses Grace by drugging her, stealing the diamonds and setting Quinn on her trail. Luckily for her, she switched out the diamonds and barely escapes Michael. She tries to hide out with her suspicious mother Kay (Gabrielle Rose) passing herself off as a cousin to her estranged daughter Laura who thinks her mother's dead. Her love and father of Laura, Gus, has cleaned up his act and still lives across the street. She makes a deal with Andi to buy new ID for $1000 but she's actually doublecrossing her with Danny.

I really like Ever Carradine and I like the premise of this story. However the production is pretty poor. The dialog could be snappier since the actresses are up to it. The mother daughter relationship has a lot of potential. Susan Hogan isn't very scary but Jeff Wincott is pretty good as a cold-hearted killer. The whole movie just lack compelling style

I don't know how anybody could spend 2 hours watching this or most other provincially made Canadian movies. The best part of any such TV movie would be the frequent commercials which interrupt the plot(?). In the past, Canadian movies have been bad but now they're politically correct and bad. And they always appear juvenile, like an ABC After School special or a TVO or PBS show meant for kids; the acting always is self-aware and concerned with teaching or getting across a point rather than convincing you, the viewer to suspend your disbelief, the sine qua non of all acting. That is, you have to forget that the actors are acting and get caught up in the excitement of the plot. This never happens in Canadian movies and television because the actors are self conscious. They also are more concerned with hitting their marks and remembering the director's latest instruction than actually acting their part. Canadian TV and movie acting is a director's medium in the worst sense of the phrase. In a top-down bureaucracy like the Canadian film industry, the director's main job is to make sure his instructions are followed to the letter because he has people who instruct him about making sure all the politically correct instructions from the producer and funding agencies are followed so the movie sends the right message to and for all interested parties. Otherwise the next movie might not get the funding. So....the minorities have to be represented in the right proportions (that might not be the case with this movie since there were an awful lot of white people in this one.) But the main and most recent mandate was fulfilled: Lots of women were featured: young and old and short and tall and all smart and in positions of power, with the men bringing up the rear and generally marginalized and stupid. This to correct for the years when women on Canadian TV and movies were under-represented. This is the time for the unsubtle redress of that longtime imbalance. Question is: when will it be over so we can go back to believable drama????

Ken Laing

"Cleaverville" is a comedy film directed by Paul J. Bolger, released in 2007. The movie offers a satirical take on reality television and celebrity culture, centering around the fictional town of Cleaverville.

The story follows the residents of Cleaverville, a small town known for its unusual characters and quirky charm. When a reality TV producer arrives in town with plans to turn Cleaverville into the next big reality show sensation, chaos ensues. The townspeople, eager for their fifteen minutes of fame, eagerly participate in the production, leading to absurd and hilarious situations.

At the heart of the film are the colorful characters who inhabit Cleaverville, each with their own unique personality and motivations. From the ambitious mayor to the eccentric locals, the film explores the lengths people will go to in pursuit of fame and fortune.

While "Cleaverville" offers plenty of laughs with its witty humor and outlandish scenarios, it also serves as a commentary on the superficiality of reality television and the exploitation of ordinary people for entertainment. Through its exaggerated portrayal of reality TV culture, the film raises questions about the nature of fame and the consequences of seeking validation through media exposure.

Overall, "Cleaverville" is an entertaining and thought-provoking comedy that provides a humorous take on the obsession with celebrity and the allure of reality television. With its engaging characters and sharp wit, the film offers a light-hearted yet insightful exploration of modern society's fascination with fame.

In a dark-haired wig, slender Ever Carradine (as Rose "Grace" Flynn) robs nicotine gum-chewing Jeffrey "Jeff" Wincott (as Michael) by drugging him before a sexual encounter. She is pleasantly surprised to find the loot includes a fortune in diamonds. A professional thief, Ms. Carradine is in deep trouble. The man works for mob boss Susan Hogan (as Margaret "Maggie" Hogan) and she wants her diamonds back. Carradine decides to seek help from New Jersey mother Gabrielle Rose (as Kay Doyle). This means danger for snotty teenager Leela Savasta (as Laura). Attractive boyfriends Zak Santiago (as Gus) and Alex Corr (as Rick Mahoney) aren't much help, but they look good for the "Lifetime" TV-movie audience. The title references the classic TV series "Leave it to Beaver" (1957-1963). Agreed, the "Cleaver" family in that show is not like the family in this movie.

**** Cleaverville (3/12/07) Jorge Montesi ~ Ever Carradine, Gabrielle Rose, Leela Savasta, Zak Santiago