I'm not really sure when this happened, but I'm just finding out about it now, so this is when I'm posting about it. Apparently, the film that I worked on two years ago (or was it three?) that premiered at Slamdance, and played at AFI and US Comedy Arts as well (yet was never released either theatrically or on DVD), has had a title change from American Fork to Humble Pie. Not huge news, but at least it is something. See, this movie has been in limbo for a while now. Something about a conflict between the two production companies that made it. Whatever is holding the film up from getting to you, I have to say that it is a real shame.
I'm a big fan of this movie. It has a great look and a unique vision. So unique, in fact, that it is hard to compare the film to anything else. The first thing that comes to mind is Napoleon Dynamite, but that's too easy. The films have the same producer (Jeremy Coon), a similar setting (although small town Idaho is swapped out for small town Utah), stars an offbeat lead character who is a not-so-endearing social outcast, who wears large thick glasses and whose wardrobe skews slightly poor and period. All that plus the fact that writer/star Hubbel Palmer was good friends with Nappy D director Jared Hess when they attended film school together (and collaborated on at least one short film that I know about). Still, the Napoleon comparison isn't quite right.
An excerpt from the review of the film (after it screened at AFI) by Scott Weinberg at Cinematical sums up a lot of my feelings:"American Fork is not likely to copy the box office success (or eventual cult status) of Napoleon Dynamite, but in many ways it's actually a better film. Sure, it doesn't have the catch phrases or the funny hair of Napoleon, but American Fork does seem to have more affection for its characters than the other film does. And American Fork could take place in reality; I never once felt the same thing about the amusing but excessively broad Napoleon Dynamite. Best of all, the movie closes with a strangely satisfying ending that never comes across as sappy or unrealistic. As far as the title goes, I noticed two types of 'fork' within the movie: The eating utensil and the 'fork in the road' variety. Let's just say the title fits the flick ... even if both are a little weird."
Even though this guy clearly doesn't know his Utah geography, I think he is dead right about the specificity of tone. I learned that on-set when time and again I went for the funny prop and was shot down, guided to the more realistic prop. Director Chris Bowman was crafting a very specific world that even being there on set every day was hard to pinpoint.The best comparison that I can come up with is some kind of combination between a Wes Anderson film and a David Gordon Green film. If you took Bottle Rocket or Rushmore and mixed it with All the Real Girls or George Washington, you'd be close to American For...er, Humble Pie.
The short synopsis from the 2006 Slamdance program:"In a supermarket in the armpit of the Mountain West, an enormous grocery clerk scribbles poetry. Tracy Orbison (Hubbel Palmer) is a dreamer. His outsized sense of wonder fuels a series of tragicomic adventures. First Tracy enrolls in an acting class, falling under the spell of the arrogant instructor, a Z-list actor named Truman Hope (William Baldwin). Next he befriends a young bagboy, Kendis Cooley (Vincent Caso), and begins a new project: mentoring Kendis and his dead-end friends. He urges the teens to give up their surly ways and get high on life; the gang's mean-eyed ringleader, Shawn (Nick Lashaway), has entirely different plans. At home, Tracy fends off Agnes, his God-fearing, self-loathing mother (Academy Award nominee Kathleen Quinlan), while his sister Peggy (24's Mary Lynn Rajskub), a perennial lonely heart, at long last finds somebody to love. Through it all, Tracy struggles to pass his driver’s exam, lose "about ten pounds," and win fame beyond his working-class job."
For my money this film is worth your while just to discover director Chris Bowman and writer/star Hubbel Palmer--two guys that we can all expect interesting things from in the future. Personally, I had a great time working with Academy Award winner Kathleen Quinlan, who I had a childhood crush on from her role in the Twilight Zone movie. I also enjoyed getting to know Mary Lynn Rajskub a little (who had really caught my eye in Mysterious Skin) and Nick Lashaway (who I hope to be casting soon, myself). This is also the best performance I have ever seen from Billy Baldwin, save maybe only The Squid and the Whale. Basically, what this boils down to is me recommending that you keep an eye out for Humble Pie. But you are going to have to visit the official website yourself, because I'm just too busy to keep up with this stuff, and I've had my heart broken one too many times--much like Tracy Orbison.Moderator's Update » 12.20.09 » Humble Pie is available on DVD at Amazon and other fine retailers. Also, Icarus A&E no longer endorses any criticism written by Scott Weinberg. He's not very observant.
