And yes, he did even know she was sick *buh dum pssh*
So I was sitting here thinking over what I’m going to write about this week. Didn’t really want to do another wrestling related anything since I had done a string of those already and really didn’t think anyone wanted to read about me bitching about having a birthday and being one step closer to being middle aged and miserable. In fact, I didn’t want to do anything preaching or heavy handed either.
Then I was reminded of this quirky movie a friend of mine made a number of years back and realized that no one had really ever talked about it, let alone reviewed it, in a forum like this one. It’s not a big budget movie, it’s not a highly glossed production, It IS a look into a creative mind and a cute and touching childhood story about coming full circle.
Jason Bateman Thinks I’m Dead.
This story revolves around, stars, and directed by Amy Keating Rogers. She has worked as a writer for such shows as Ben 10, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Care Bears, and probably the credit that gets her the most attention is as one of the original writers for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (Pony Pony Pony!), which is how I got to know her from thanks to a little character named Derpy Hooves. The story she tells here is something different than the kind of things she’s known to produce as this is a personal story of how growing up, she went to school with actor Jason Bateman, star of a whole mess of movies and TV shows going all the way back to the early 1980’s. Amy tells how not once, but twice Jason though Amy had died after having battled with a non cancerous brain tumor as a kid. What follows is Amy trying to track down Jason through various means to tell him that she was still very much alive and well and maybe reminisce about their shared experiences as children.
The movie is a fun and offbeat look at how fickle life can be and especially how things that happen to us as children can stay with us into our adult lives, however more than anything it is just a fun, quirky, and entertaining story. It’s not scripted, so if you are looking for something akin to the Cinema Snob movies or the Channel Awesome anniversary movies this may not be for you. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a documentary either. It’s like a film version of sitting down with a good friend and her telling you this really interesting story she had happened during thanksgiving or some such gathering.
The movie starts out with Amy herself explaining to us the audience, as well as some of her own personal friends, about what had happened between the two as children in the 3rd grade and the crush Amy had for Jason. This more than anything shows Amy’s wonderfully creative personality as the movie doesn’t take itself too serious, showing the less than serious reactions from her friends as well as showing “reenactments” of those moments the two shared complete with a Jason Bateman stand in over the tune that Amy herself wrote to Jason back as a kid.
Eventually this morphs into a Six Degrees of Jason Bateman style quest to get in contact with the actor and be able to meet with him on camera. We see not only friends of Amy’s, but also several former classmates and friends of Jason, Tom Kenny from Spongebob Squarepants, and some funny moments with Amy’s daughter Moira. This shows several of Amy’s tracks to try and get in touch with Jason and their results, but also Amy struggling with how to accomplish such goals without ending up crossing the line into crazy stalkertown.
Granted, the production is not polished. The sound quality jumps around from shot to shot, especially when she is filming scenes outdoors. Sometimes lighting can jump around as well from calm well balanced lighting, to really dark, the blinding light of outdoors. If you came into this expecting Ken Burns level production and editing, you probably will be disappointed. But remember, Amy isn’t known for being a Cinematographer, she is known for telling great stories and she does so here. This isn’t meant to be a parody or make a point about documentary filmmaking or anything like that, it was her way of telling a really interesting story that literally only she could tell. It doesn’t try to be anything but a fun project to get this quirky story told in a fun and entertaining way by a fun and entertaining person.
I enjoy this movie since it’s not trying to beat a lesson into you or forcing you to take something away from it. Where something more polished and “professional” will try to set moods, build itself up, try to be more than it is, and even talk down to you, this isn’t trying to say anything more than it is. It’s a quirky story told by a very creative person who wanted to take us along this interesting journey to reconnect with a part of her childhood that meant a lot to her. It’s a movie that will make you chuckle in her approach and also make you wonder just how she is going to be able to accomplish her goal. If you are a fan of the quirky and irreverent than I would really recommend this. If you like to hear a good story and see how things play out, I would recommend this.
And the best part about the movie is? It’s FREE. Yup, no piracy, no illegal streaming, everything on the up and up free. Right here:
Have fun!
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