Hit and Runway

Hit and Runway has the same spirit of Good Will Hunting, and is done equally as well. Geez, movies where you come to know the characters, like them and care what happens to them -- individually and their relationship. What a concept! Sure, the urban setting of NYC is an easy mark for a story like this, but at least the main characters aren't yuppies and this movie shows real people living like real people. I thought this was going to be an indie film shot on a miniscule budget, but I never saw a shot that looked it. Everything seemed as well done as with a big budget throwaway (of which there are so many these days). I thought I might like this movie but didn't expect to love it. I loved it. Everyone involved should feel proud.

Set in New York City, this thoroughly modern story centers on two young men who collaborate on a screenplay, in an effort to become professional writers. Their arrangement is a kind of literary odd-couple. Alex (Michael Parducci) is an overly confident and slightly pugnacious chump who is straight. His writing partner is Elliot (Peter Jacobson), a timid gay man who lacks confidence in himself. The two are polar opposites. Yet each has personality traits important to their collective endeavor. Alex has the confidence and the dreams. Elliot has the talent.

The strength of the story is in the characters, and in the dialogue, which can be amusing at times, like when self-assured Alex says: "Hopeless is not a word in my vocabulary". To which the cerebral Elliot responds: "I suspect there are a lot of words that are not in your vocabulary".

Much of the plot is propelled by verbal conflict between the two. At one point, they are discussing a story character named "Inuska", a young woman. Alex says: "Now what was so terrible about what we were writing? It was funny, it was sexy". Elliot responds: "Inuska, the leading lady, she was two-dimensional". To which Alex fires back: "What are you talking about, two-dimensional? She was stacked!"

Some of the plot's romantic encounters are distracting. Yet they are probably necessary to engage much of the audience, as the process of writing is not visually exciting.

Alex and Elliot are two very different personalities. Yet each learns from the other. And the film's theme is about how people's lives affect their writing, and how their writing affects their lives.

"Hit And Runway" is a smart, sometimes funny, extended sitcom about two very imperfect people who must work together. The film is not some big budget, grand epic with a profound message. But it's well made. And for what it sets out to do, I think it succeeds reasonably well.

I liked Hit and Runway. I went into it with just a vague idea of what it was about, and wound up being thoroughly charmed by it. It made me laugh and it kept me interested all the way. Sure, it looks a bit low-budget at times, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Sometimes, and particularly with this film, it can make the characters more accessible. My idea of a successful movie is one that makes me feel sad when it ends, because I'd like to spend a little more time with the people it's introduced me to. That's how I felt at the end of this film. (By the way, I also liked the music.)

This movie really surprised me. I did not expect to enjoy this movie whatsoever. But it did. Wonderful story - I would of love to see this Straight guy fall for the little Jewish gay guy. It would of made one hell of an ending. Granted I felt the ending was sufficient. The jewish guy ended up happy and with someone, instead of alone in his apartment or dead on the street somewhere.

A very enjoyable movie for all.

I liked the fact that most of the people in this movie were pretty much unknowns to me. This eliminated the "superstar" factor; where I get so distracted by the person playing the character that the character doesn't develop. I loved the idea for their screenplay; the premise was so funny, the scenes they showed were hilarious. The scenes with the family at the restaurant were very realistic. Even the gay Christmas party was good. Elliott reminded me of a gay Woody Allen (which, if you think about it, would have saved Mia a lot of trouble). Alex, I couldn't quite pigeonhole that easily. Didn't seem very ethnic, ethereal; he seemed more like a jock than a writer. All in all, I think this was a really good movie. I came across it by accident and I hope you do too.