Highball

Directed by Noah Baumbach and written by Baumbach, Carlos Jacott, and Christopher Reed, Highball is the story about a newlywed couple who decide to throw parties in order to improve their social lives in the course of an entire year. The film is a look into the world of marriage and friendships as they‘re tested in a trio of parties where things happen in weird ways. Starring Justine Bateman, Peter Bogdanovich, Dean Cameron, Chris Eigeman, Eric Stoltz, Annabella Sciorra, and Christopher Reed. Highball is a messy and incomprehensible film from Noah Baumbach.

The film revolves around the lives of a newlywed couple in Travis (Christopher Reed) and Diane (Lauren Katz) as they decide to throw parties in the course of a year in order to improve their social life with their friends. Instead, things go wrong in a trio of parties where there’s some spats, misunderstandings, discussions that go horrible wrong, and all sorts of confusion while one of the guests in Darien (Eric Stoltz) is always bringing a date who is a famous actress. The screenplay that Noah Baumbach, Christopher Reed, and Carlos Jacott explore the idea of these parties where everyone is eager to have a good time but something always go wrong. Things get messier and weirder where couples break up, a guest always instigate things, and there’s always something to make things even worse.

Baumbach’s direction is very intimate as he sets the film entirely in an apartment in Brooklyn where people are always gathering around to socialize and do things. Shot in six days with leftover film stock, the direction is quite loose while Baumbach would insert scenes of the New York City streets in between each segment of the film that is wonderfully edited with dissolves and such. The rest of the film itself unfortunately meanders where there’s gags involving a record company employee named Miles (John Lehr) and his boss (Chris Eigeman) while a guest named Felix (Carlos Jacott) spars with another guest (Noah Baumbach). There are moments that are funny including a guest (Peter Bogdanovich) making various impressions but it starts to lose its luster by the third act and things get more ridiculous as things wore on. Overall, Baumbach creates a very troubled and often dull micro budget film that really isn’t sure what it wants to be.

Cinematographer Steven Bernstein does nice work with the cinematography where it does have some grainy camera work for many of the film‘s interior settings to capture the mood of the parties. Production designer Shanya Tsao does terrific work with the design of the parties to play up the holiday or theme of the parties. Costume designer Katherine Jane Bryant does wonderful work with the costumes including the designs of the Halloween costumes the guests wear at the party. Sound editor Jason Kaplan does excellent work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the parties as well as some of the backdrops of conversations heard in the background. Music supervisor Dean Wareham creates a fine soundtrack that features some of his own music plus some dreamy folk songs of his own including a few stuff played in the parties.

The film’s cast is a highlight of the film as it features appearances from Ally Sheedy and Rae Dawn Chong as themselves who are dates of Darien, Louise Stratten as a woman dressed up as a subway train, Catherine Kellner as a party guest dressed up as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, Dean Cameron as a magician in the first party, Dean Wareham as a guest in the New Year’s Eve party, and Peter Bogdanovich as a guest who dresses up as a director in the Halloween party while doing many impressions of famous actors from the past.

Other small roles include Justine Bateman as the guest Sandy who is a friend of Diane, Annabella Sciorra as another friend of Diane in Molly, John Lehr as the somewhat dim-witted Miles, Noah Baumbach as the low-key yet smart-ass Philip, Chris Eigeman as Miles’ annoyed boss Fletcher, and Carlos Jacott as the very brash and pushy Felix. Lauren Katz is very good as Diane as a woman trying to get the party right while being frustrated by Felix while Christopher Reed is excellent as Travis who is a friend of Felix but couldn’t get anything through to Diane because he never tells her anything.

Highball is a drab yet disappointing film from Noah Baumbach. While it features themes about adulthood that he’s known for, it’s a film that gets bogged down by too many things happening where not much makes sense. Though it does have moments that are funny and is a bit impressive in terms of the small budget it has. It’s a film that really doesn’t offer much as it gets too repetitious at times while some of the characters don’t become interesting anymore. In the end, Highball is a disappointing yet dull film from Noah Baumbach.

Noah Baumbach Films: Kicking and Screaming - Mr. Jealousy - The Squid & the Whale - Margot at the Wedding - Greenberg - Frances Ha - While We’re Young - Mistress America - De Palma - The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) - Marriage Story - (White Noise (2022 film)) - The Auteurs #41: Noah Baumbach

© thevoid99 2013

Mr. Jealousy

Written and directed by Noah Baumbach, Mr. Jealousy is the story of a writer whose new relationship with a woman is shaken when he learns that her old boyfriend is a famous writer. Filled with jealousy, he follows the man as he pretends to be another person as part of a therapy group. The film explores a man whose insecurities try to have him be compared to his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend. Starring Eric Stoltz, Annabella Sciorra, Chris Eigeman, Carlos Jacott, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Brian Kerwin, Bridget Fonda, and Peter Bogdanovich. Mr. Jealousy is a witty adult-comedy from Noah Baumbach.

Aspiring writer/part-time teacher Lester Grimm (Eric Stoltz) has just been introduced to Ramona Ray (Annabella Sciorra) by their friends Vince (Carlos Jacott) and Lucretia (Marianne Jean-Baptiste). After a few successful dates, Lester and Ramona have become a couple as they’re both excited for Vince and Lucretia’s upcoming nuptials. When Ramona divulges her own life to Lester that included a brief affair with a newly-famous writer named Dashiell Frank (Chris Eigeman) during her days in college. Lester reluctantly reads Frank’s new book as he later spots him walking into a group therapy session where Lester accidentally walks into the building as he becomes part of the group therapy under Vince’s name.

Headed by Dr. Poke (Peter Bogdanovich), Lester and Dashiell are among the people in the group of Lester pretends to be Vince as he takes shot at Dashiell’s insecurities while Lester discusses some of Vince’s problems. Though Vince was reluctant to have Lester divulge information, the two do trade secrets about what is happening although nothing secretive is revealed in the therapy sessions. Suddenly, Lester and Dashiell become friends as they discuss their own issues to each other though Lester remains under the name of Vince. After Ramona revealed to Lester about meeting a former boyfriend named Stephen (Brian Kerwin), Lester becomes confused on whether that the woman Dashiell wrote about is Ramona. Vince decides to join the group therapy as a British man named Leo revealing Lester’s jealousy issues to the group making Lester feeling very uncomfortable.

When Ramona becomes suspicious about Lester’s therapy sessions and why he lied about missing a date. She and Lucretia starts to follow Lester and Vince in the therapy sessions where Ramona meets Dashiell as Dashiell later talks about meeting Ramona at a group session leading to a major blow-up for all involved.

The film is about a man with jealousy issues after learning about his new girlfriend’s former relationship with a man that is now a famous writer. Wanting to know this man and see how he can better himself for this woman, he takes part in a group therapy session where things become complicated as his best friend suddenly gets involved to further complicate things. It’s a film where Noah Baumbach explores the world of jealousy as he follows Lester Grimm in this journey as the story is told by a narrator (Noah Baumbach) who divulges into Lester’s past as well as Ramona’s own quirks. The screenplay features characters that all seem to have it together while Lester is the one trying to get past his jealousy issues only to go back into old habits. Largely because he’s faced moments in his young life where he’s been dumped or been unable to express his feelings towards another girl.

In Ramona, she becomes this ideal woman that Lester might feel that she is the one until she reveals all of these lovers she had including Dashiell. This would prompt him to find out about Dashiell where he accidentally follows him as he learns about this man while pretending to be someone else. Yet, Dashiell is revealed to be someone who is having his own issues about himself and admitting that he wasn’t a great person in the past. This would lead to Lester to finally open a bit as he gets to know Dashiell as it would only complicate his jealousy issues and his relationship with Ramaona. It’s a script that is a comedy of manners though at times, it does play off as a bit pompous as the characters are quite high-brow.

Baumbach’s direction is straightforward in terms of its compositions as a lot of is shot in New York City. Many of the compositions in the way Baumbach directs his actors in a frame and have the camera move around to be in the center of these group therapy sessions. The film opens with a prologue of sorts about Lester’s life as the scenes are repeated frame for frame but played by Vince when he plays Leo for the therapy session. Baumbach’s approach to humor is more about the situation and character rather than gags. While the film has a lot of references to films and high art, there is an element of pretentiousness to it that makes the film feel a bit smug at times. Despite the few flaws it has, Baumbach does create a very compelling romantic comedy-drama.

Cinematographer Steven Bernstein does some pretty good work with the photography that is very straightforward for a lot of the interior and exterior shots of NYC and the apartments that the characters live in. Editor J. Kathleen Gibson does some excellent work with the film‘s stylish cutting employing lots of rhythmic cuts, montages, and jump-cuts to play with the film‘s easy-going pacing. Production designer Anne Stuhler, along with set decorator Candis Heiland and art director Roswell Hamrick, does some nice work with the apartments to contrast the different worlds of the more middle-class Lester and the more posh Dashiell.

Costume designer Katherine Jean Bryant does some wonderful work with the costumes that includes some very stylish clothing for Ramona. Sound mixer Jeff Pullman does terrific work with the sound from the intimate moments of the therapy sessions to more raucous moments in a dinner scene. The film’s score by Robert Een is a wonderful mixture of jazz and reggae to play up the humor of the film while the score features some folk-driven pieces performed by the dream-pop band Luna. Assembling the film’s soundtrack is music supervisor William Ewart as he creates a soundtrack that features Georges Delerue, Harry Chapin, and Leonard Cohen.

The casting by Todd M. Thaler is excellent for the ensemble that is created as it includes Eddie Kaye Thomas as a Spanish-language student, Noah and Nico Baumbach as a couple of former dates of Ramona, John Lehr as a friend of Vince and Lester, Brian Kerwin as an ex-boyfriend of Ramona in Stephen, and Bridget Fonda as Dashiell’s stammering girlfriend Irene. Legendary filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich is superb as the very helpful Dr. Poke who leads the group therapy sessions that Lester, Dashiell, and Vince attend. Marianne-Jean Baptiste is very good as Vince’s fiancée Lucretia who wonders about Vince’s comments about therapy. Carlos Jacott is great as Lester’s friend Vince who is interested about Lester’s portrayal for the therapy sessions while he would sport a wonderful British accent as Lester’s doppelganger Leo.

Chris Eigeman is excellent as Dashiell, Ramona’s ex-boyfriend who tries to deal with his own issues as a writer while befriending Lester in the group therapy. Annabella Sciorra is lovely as the superstitious Ramona who tries to deal with Lester’s behavior as their relationship starts to progress. Finally, there’s Eric Stoltz in a remarkable performance as the confused Lester whose jealousy issues have him questioning himself while befriending Dashiell that would further his anxiety over his relationship with Ramona.

Mr. Jealousy is a very good film from Noah Baumbach that features stellar performances from Eric Stoltz, Annabella Sciorra, and Chris Eigeman. While it’s an imperfect film that might be too-high brow for some viewers. It is still a quite engaging comedy that is very smart in its portrayal of young 30-something dealing with love. In the end, Mr. Jealousy is a charming romantic-comedy from Noah Baumbach.

Noah Baumbach Films: Kicking & Screaming - Highball - The Squid & the Whale - Margot at the Wedding - Greenberg - Frances Ha - While We're Young - Mistress America - De Palma - The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) - Marriage Story - (White Noise (2022 film)) - The Auteurs #41: Noah Baumbach

© thevoid99 2012

Jungle Fever

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 2/19/07 w/ Additional Edits.

Interracial relationships is a discussion that is considered taboo in some circles though in recent year, it's not as scandalous as it was back in the 1950s or in the early 1990s. African-American director Spike Lee explored the world of interracial relationships to unveil the good and the bad from the perspective of its nationalities and races. Written and directed by Spike Lee, Jungle Fever tells the story of a white-collar African-American architect who begins an affair with his white, Italian-American temp secretary amidst the reaction from their families and ethnic groups. Starring Wesley Snipes, Annabella Sciorra, and Spike Lee plus Lee regulars John Turturro, Debi Mazar, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Turturro, Michael Badalucco, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, and Michael Imperioli along with Frank Vincent, Loretta McKee, Anthony Quinn, Tim Robbins, and Halle Berry. Jungle Fever is a poignant, eerie film about the troubles of interracial relationships.

Living in a nice part of Harlem, Flipper Purify (Wesley Snipes) works as an architect for a successful firm while living with his wife Drew (Loretta McKee) and daughter Ming (Veronica Timbers). Arriving to work with his bosses Leslie (Brad Dourif) and Jerry (Tim Robbins), they introduce him to his new temp secretary, a white, Italian-American named Angie Tucci (Annabella Sciorra). At first, Flipper isn't sure since he wanted a black secretary but Angie's work ethics impress her. Angie lives in Bensonhurst with her father Mike (Frank Vincent) and two brothers Charlie (David Dundara) and James (Michael Imperioli). Angie also has a boyfriend named Paulie Carbone (John Turturro), a nice, sweet man she knew as a kid who runs a sweet shop with his father Lou (Anthony Quinn). While Flipper has a nice life that included his friend Cyrus (Spike Lee), he also comes from a strict family that included his reverend father Dr. Purify (Ossie Davis) and his mother Lucinda (Ruby Dee). The only person in Flipper's life that isn't doing well is his estranged, crack-addicted older brother Gator (Samuel L. Jackson).

After some time together working, Flipper and Angie bond where immediately, they begin an affair. Though they keep it secret, it only troubles Flipper's problems with his firm where after being denied a partnership, he leaves. Telling Cyrus about what happened and his affair with Angie, the idea of a black man with a white woman causes some problems. Angie meanwhile, tells her friends Denise (Debi Mazar) and Louise (Gina Mastrogiacomo) about her affair with a black man. Knowing that her father is racist, Angie hopes to keep it a secret with her own friends. During Flipper's conversation with Cyrus, Gator appears with his new crack-addicted girlfriend Vivian (Halle Berry) where he tries to persuade Flipper to give him money to get high. Flipper is persuaded grudgingly as he tries to move on with his life. Then one night when having dinner with Angie, a waitress (Queen Latifah) is angry that a black man like Flipper is dating a white woman. Immediately, word gets out as Drew is furious and kicks Flipper out of their home. Angie meanwhile, gets in trouble as her father beats her in front of his sons as she leaves the house. When Angie tells Paulie, he is heartbroken where his father tells him to get on with his life.

After an attempt to win Drew back, she refuses to take him in as she has become upset that he cheated on her with a woman who is white while she's half-white. Alienated by their own friends and family, Flipper and Angie move in together. Despite this time together, it brings a sense of trouble with Gator making a visit at one point and then having to eat dinner with Flipper's parents. During a moment when they're making out passionately, Flipper is reminded of his own skin color when two cops (Miguel Sandoval and Rick Aiello, playing the same cops from Do the Right Thing) stop him thinking he's about to rape her. The incident only troubles Flipper and Angie's relationship where the cynicism over interracial relationship occurs. When Angie decides to make amends with Paulie, Paulie has become interested in a black patron named Orin Goode (Tyra Ferrell) who often visits the store. Despite the prejudices of his friends like Vinny (Nicholas Turturro) and Frankie (Michael Badalucco), Paulie decide to pursue Orin against the wishes of his own father.

Flipper's problems continue when he decides to try and find Gator after pleas from his mother who still hasn't had the money she loaned. After meeting a dealer named Livin' Large (Charlie Murphy), he finds Gator who has spiraled down badly. Flipper suddenly has to contend with his own issues for his family and his relationship with Angie while Gator reaches rock-bottom.

Interracial relationships is an important part of the film yet one of the issues Lee raises is over how parents raise their children. From the way the Purify family raise their sons in different ways through the religious environment to the families of Angie and Paulie. Angie's father is a racist but holds some deep values as does Paulie's father who still couldn't get over the fact that his wife had died. That's one theme while the other is the idea of interracial relationships. Sometimes they work for the right reasons like the way Paulie wants to pursue Orin despite his father and his friends. Others like Flipper and Angie don't work since they came together out of the idea of the myths of a black man and white woman. There's one comment where Flipper said to his friend Cyrus that he was curious. A subplot over the troubled world of Gator does overshadow a bit of the film's other plot but still makes it interesting. Yet, it also presents one of the film's flaws. Despite Lee's wonderfully stylish, observant direction and a great script; it suffers from being uneven while it has an ending that is confusing.

Cinematographer Ernest Dickerson brings a wonderfully stylish, intimate look to the film while many of the film's interior shots are wonderfully lit to convey the different worlds of its characters. Production designer Wynn Thomas and set decorator Ted Glass do excellent work in contrasting the up-scale look of Harlem to the more working-class look of Bensonhurst while revealing the different cultures of black and white. Costume designer Ruth E. Carter also plays to the differences of clothes of blacks and white while revealing some of its similarities. Editor Samuel L. Pollard adds style to the editing with some jump-cuts and perspective cutting to the film's 135-minute running time while dealing with the subplots. Sound designer Skip Leivsay also brings a wonderful atmosphere to the locations in the film. Longtime composer Terence Blanchard brings a wonderful mix of jazz and classical to convey the drama. The film's soundtrack includes some wonderful soul cuts from Stevie Wonder to convey the sense of chaos and positivity to interracial relationships that included the hit title cut.

The film's cast includes some notable small performances from Tim Robbins, Brad Dourif, Charlie Murphy, Debi Mazar, Michael Imperioli, Queen Latifah, Michael Badalucco, Nicholas Turturro, Frank Vincent, Gina Mastrogiacomo, Veronica Timbers, David Dundara, and the cops from Do the Right Thing in Miguel Sandoval and Rick Aiello. Tyra Ferrell is excellent in her small role as the sweet, intelligent Orin who brings something fresh to the character of Paulie. Halle Berry, in one of her early roles, is excellent as Samuel L. Jackson's crack girlfriend, who revealed that she didn't shower for two weeks for the role. Loretta McKee is great as the frustrated, scorned Drew whose anger is understandable, especially with dealing her own race. Spike Lee is also great in his small role as the cautious Cyrus. Ruby Dee and the late Ossie Davis are in great form as Flipper and Gator's parents with Dee being the more supportive, sympathetic figure and Davis as the more religious, confrontational figure.

In a role that's the complete opposite of his character Pino from Do the Right Thing, John Turturro gives one of his greatest performances as Paulie. Turturro's sweet persona and open-minded ideas of race is a shocker as Turturro brings the kind of subtlety and kindness to a man who finds himself attracted to a black woman. Turturro also has a great scene with Anthony Quinn that reveals his range as a dramatic actor. The late Anthony Quinn is also wonderful as Turturro's religious, grieving father who has a hard time dealing with his wife's death and refusal to put other newspapers in his store believing they won't sell. The best supporting performance easily goes to Samuel L. Jackson as the crack-addicted Gator. Jackson brings a complex, haunting performance as a man in the depths of hell of his addiction while his dances are fun to watch as Jackson reveals the horrors of addiction. Jackson, who was just out of rehab when playing his character, proved to be one of the film's highlights.

Annabella Sciorra is great as the kind, curious Angie who wonders about black men while wanting a change from her usual, Italian-American environment. Sciorra brings the right kind of sweetness and realism to the role while she is forced to see the prejudices of the world. Wesley Snipes is also great as Flipper, another man who is curious who then becomes cynical about the idea of a committed, interracial relationship. Snipes proves his dramatic range while unveiling the sense of how a black man can walk into dangerous ground as it's a winning performance from Snipes.

Despite its flaws, Jungle Fever is still one of Spike Lee's quintessential films with some great performances from Wesley Snipes, Annabella Sciorra, Samuel L. Jackson, John Turturro, and Anthony Quinn. While this film provides an intellectual issue of interracial relationships, it also reveals the idea of how families influence their kids. While it's not a masterpiece, Jungle Fever is a fantastic yet harrowing film from the always provocative Spike Lee.

Spike Lee Films: (She’s Gotta Have It) - (School Daze) - Do the Right Thing - Mo' Better Blues - (Malcolm X) - Crooklyn - (Clockers) - (Girl 6) - (Get on the Bus) - 4 Little Girls - (He Got Game) - Freak - Summer of Sam - (The Original Kings of Comedy) - (Bamboozled) - (A Huey P. Newton Story) - 25th Hour - (Jim Brown: All-American) - (She Hate Me) - (Inside Man) - (When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts) - (Miracle at St. Anna) - (Kobe Doin’ Work) - (Passing Strange) - (If God is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise) - Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth - (Oldboy (2013 film)) - (Da Blood of Jesus) - (Chi Raq) - Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall - BlacKkKlansman - Da 5 Bloods - (American Utopia)

© thevoid99 2011