I watched Nicky Newark this past weekend at its big unveiling, and accompanied a friend of mine who knows one of the cast members. I'm not a "professional" reviewer, just a guy who digs all types of films. I realized though last night that it's been about a week since I saw this flick and I'm still thinking about it. That tells me something.
I walked into this showing thinking "great, an independent movie from people I've never heard of." Indie movies can be hit or miss. The filmmaker may nail the lighting, sound, and tech stuff but severely lack the talent of the actors, writing, or direction to make the movie work. Other times there may be a great amount of talent behind the movie but if the sound or lighting is bad or distracting, then it's lost. The film begins with a definition of a "Nicky Newark": a rough guy from Newark NJ not known for accomplishing much.
The opening sequence grabbed me right away. I watched some unknown actor driving around a really grimy NJ street. He sees a big-framed guy (Ralphie) eating a box of donuts and tells him that "he's been bad". Ralphie drops the box & runs as fast as a guy his size can. The guy driving sighs and slowly walks back to his car. Then the music kicks in and we watch what, quite honestly, is Ralphie's hysterical run through decrepit city areas, a local restaurant, and right into
Well I don't want to ruin it but it's pretty funny and not what I was expecting. We find out that the guy driving the car is Bobby Canonnoli, a parole officer, and Ralphie is a parolee. I realized right then that "wow I forgot I'm watching an indie film," and that was my mood throughout most of the movie.
We discover that Bobby wants to be an actor, has a horrible marriage, and is struggling to find how he fits in,basically this guy's life really sucks. The main character, Bobby, is definitely a bit of an ass, and I give the director credit for being unafraid to go there from the start. However, like most of the characters in this film, his motivations are revealed as the story progresses, and I found that approach kept me wondering and captivated as an audience member.
No one is "perfect" in this movie – all of the characters are flawed and struggling to find their place. You have a conflicted Parole Captain in MacStevenson, struggling with her power and her friendship with Bobby; Bobby's brother in law Donnie, who I often wondered if he was retarded or what – once we find out why he's the way he is, I have to be honest I felt bad that I had been ripping on this character; Danielle, Bobby's wife, is just unbearable in her selfishness and I felt myself really not liking her, however by the end of the film even she has her moment.
Even characters that could come across as clichéd, such as the "enemy at work", are so perfectly cast that when the arguments between Bobby and Spiers happen I end up focusing not on the cliché but on the story. Danielle's typical NJ guidette friend, Jeanette, comes in with such a force that I found myself taking the time to sit back and watch that dynamic unfold. The acting teacher Reggie is just so absurd it's hysterical (I've never taken an acting class but I was cracking up at what I've heard from my acting friends). It isn't a perfect film, but I'll tell you I had to keep reminding myself that this was an indie film.
The Director stated he really wanted to get back to a 1970's style of film making. There was even a Director's Statement on all of the seats, letting us know what they were going for with the film and why it was made the way it was. The Director wanted a throwback to where stories and characters were given time to unfold and develop. There were some long scenes – in the park and in a church; but as I really digested the story I wondered how anything could have been cut. So much is built into the scene-to-scene flow that I felt the story unfolded perfectly. If there was a long scene it was immediately followed up by a funny scene or something that grabbed my attention. There is a fire truck scene that was pretty awesome. NO idea how they did that.
One of the challenges I think for independent filmmakers today is that everything has been done, so finding new ways to make things unique and free of cliché is part of what makes good movies, and this film really delivered with that. I read a review that knocked most of the movie and then focused on the reviewer's boyfriend, who had a minor role, and I just felt that this film deserved more than that.
For their post-screening Q&A, the Cast and Crew stated some of the challenges in modern day indie filmmaking: How they are up against the "dumbing down" (their words) of film, TV, etc.; and how they are fighting an establishment that cares more about cheap, attention-grabbing stuff. I was a bit skeptical at the time, but once I looked up the reviewer who knocked the film (who has since removed his review), I noticed he does a lot of fashion reviews, bubble gum pop, and a variety of "grab your attention" stories. I thought
these filmmakers may be onto something with their anti-establishment bent.
Ultimately Nicky Newark is an ambitious film, amazingly executed overall, a fresh take on a story, and with actors that live and breathe their characters. This is something that Hollywood films have trouble nailing with millions of dollars and name actors. These guys did it and they did it well.
