Sneakers & Soul

Just saw this at the Tallahassee Film Festival. Was expecting your typical, bleak and depressing angst-filled indie film, as so many seem to be these days. Much to my surprise, Sneakers and Soul was neither bleak nor saccharine sweet. While this film treads in both waters, it does so appropriately, and ultimately comes across as a touching yet legitimate coming of age story.

Although the film may have a slow start, the characters' narrative pulled me in and it was definitely worth the wait. In particular, the role of "Vicki" (and the actress's performance) was especially sincere and believable. As an added note (since I'm a music buff), the film's soundtrack was excellent, and it substantially added to the movie's unexpected, upbeat vibe. I'm impressed that this was a first feature film, and I would certainly watch the next.

I got to see this film at the Sunscreen Film Festival in St. Pete, Florida. I saw many films at the festival, but by far, Sneakers & Soul was my favorite. It was intelligent, as well as funny. The beginning started out a bit slow, but once it got going, it was a fun ride.

My favorite character was the female character, Vicki. She shows up in the film right when she is needed, and helps move the story along to the end.

I was shocked to find out that this was a very small budget film written, directed, and produced by a group of friends. Very impressive.

I'm hoping to see more stuff from this team of filmmakers in the future. They know how to tell a great story.

This movie was really good but looked even better compared to the short films that came before it.

I saw this film at a certain small regional film festival. It looked really professional! The credits were classy motion graphics and I felt like I was watching a movie made for the big screen, not just a computer screen.

The film gets off to a slightly slow start and I was worried it would feel a little 'oh golly shucks' trite but just 10 minutes in it was a lot more sincere. The movie only got better from there.

Memorable scenes: A character slapping (literally) his clothes off and jumping around on a bed. Little girl bicycles. Vickie's ADORABLE first appearance (seriously, I hope this girl is the next Zooey Deschanel).

I think you should watch this movie. At the very least you will see a full-length feature that was made on a CRAZY low budget (I know, I asked) and looks really, really good. I do not think it's possible to dislike this film.

The movie begins with a young, burnt-out lawyer named John inheriting a pair of shoes and an apartment from his father. His father was universally beloved and known for enjoying life to the fullest. John, however, lives a life focused on his career and seems to be lacking the joie de vivre of his father.

When his life gets particularly stressful, John decides to put his work on hold for a few days and go on a road trip of sorts to visit the apartment that he has inherited from his father. But instead of driving the three hours to New York City, he decides to try living in the style of his father and walk. And instead of saying in hotels, he will sleep in whatever bed he happens to find. Strapping on his father's shoes, he sets off on an unconventional road trip.

This movie was a really enjoyable take on finding one's self in the middle of modern suburbia. Instead of escaping civilization in a deserted wilderness, the characters in the movie trek through suburban neighborhoods. The characters are in full on hiking mode while walking down sidewalks in front of houses with children playing and looking on. It's a great image with a lot of humor.

The best part of this movie are the characters. The main character meets old friends and new friends on his journey and they are all developed really well. In particular, the girl played by Marie Cecile Anderson was really great and added a lot of joy to the movie.

One or two scenes didn't work quite perfectly. In particular, there is a fight scene that doesn't fit the flow of the movie very well and there is a coincidence involving the owner of some bicycles that seems a little too on the nose. But otherwise, this movie is an engaging adventure with great characters. It's also really funny throughout.

I saw this movie at the Riverside Film Festival and the budget given by the film makers during the Q&A was amazingly low compared with how good the movie looked on screen. This movie was made for probably less than the cost of a day of catering on Transformers II but it looked great and was a lot more enjoyable. While I wouldn't directly compare it with these movies, if you like movies such as Garden State, Little Miss Sunshine or even 500 Days of Summer, you would definitely enjoy this movie.

I had no preconceived notions about this Tallahassee Film Festival offering when I viewed it last night, but I am always willing to surrender to quirky art and off-beat creativity. I didn't find much of either in "Sneakers and Soul" to be able to recommend it. The best thing about it is its title, and the second best thing is the charming young actress who plays a featured role.

Actually, there are some other entertaining elements. I enjoyed the opening animation although it seemed to introduce the wrong film. The soundtrack is pleasant, too. "Sneakers and Soul" is simply the little movie that tried way too hard to be an art film. It played like a big-budget student film with rich images and artful tableaux, but the dialogue often seemed as contrived as some of the absurd situations.