mamaleh483

Then-high school junior Corey Smith's student film makes the honor roll! In this cute short, a mathematically challenged girl daydreams about her dreamboat teacher (Hugh Jackman) while preparing for an important exam. The twist ending is creative and bespeaks a bright future for the budding auteur. The script was obviously good enough to attract the participation of A-lister action/musical star Hugh Jackman--who was gracious enough to lend his time and talents--and gain the attention of MTV, which premiered it on "Total Request Live." The live audience reaction was overwhelmingly positive, and deservedly so. Smith was recognized by the New Jersey Student Film Festival for his auspicious debut. I see a Spielbergian future for this up-and-coming filmmaker!

Looking at the film afresh as a mature adult, I'm now amazed I never realized that however excellent an actor Alec Guiness was, he simply looked ludicrous as an ersatz Japanese man. He appeared to have some sort of tightening device around his eyes so that they always looked closed! I guess that passed for generic Asian looks in those days. Too bad at the time James Shigeta was too young for the part; I kept visualizing him as an older man. That quibble aside, it is truly a heartwarming tale and well-performed by the wonderful Rosalind Russell and Mr. Guiness. Nice to see a regular-guy performance by Ran Danton, too, as the son-in-law. I'd always associated him with "Legs" Diamond and other unsavory characters he usually seemed to play. All in all, entertaining and drives home some important points about tolerance and family relations.