I have little words to express with regards to the movie Calvin Marshall and its parallel to a cheap 80's film.
On a nice and cool Arizona Friday evening we set out to see a few films hosted by the three day annual Prescott Film festival! The festival was taking place from August 6, through August 8, 2010 at various times throughout the day. There were probably about 40 films with different show times that were being viewed at three different venues which included the Elks Opera House and Theatre, Yavapai College Performance Hall and the Hendrix Auditorium. We decided to view the chosen movie Calvin Marshall at the newly remodeled classical 1800's Opera house downtown, the Elks Theatre. Inside the theatre was half packed with senior citizens on vacation, who were also excited to be apart of the Prescott culture. Calvin Marshall genre is said to be a dramedy..... whatever that is.
The film is written and directed by Gary Lundgren a director that most of us have probably never heard of before. The director has worked on films such as Lithium and Wow and Flutter. Movies that most of us have never heard of or seen before either, but that is okay because its an indie film director right? The cast included not so bad actors Alex Frost, Jeremy Sumpter, Michelle Lombardo, Jane Adams and Steve Zahn who is best known for his role in the movie Reality Bites that was directed by Ben Stiller once upon a time ago. The movie Calvin Marshall was filmed on location in Ashland and Medford Oregon in 2007 and was released in New York City back in 2009.
The indie film depicted a un attracted man in his early 20's who has been trying out for the Bayford Bisons Junior College baseball team for the last 3 years. Calvin Marshall ( Alex Frost) not only wants to play professional baseball ball but also wants to win the girl of his dreams. Marshall a geek, has fallen head over heals or rather smitten for the Bison's women volleyball model-like star player who is twice his size in height. There is however, even more of a competition in getting her to like him than in succeeding in baseball, because the overly controlling coach started to developed a crush or somewhat of an obsession toward the teenage volleyball player too.
Unfortunately Marshall is not aware that he lacks any athletic talent or ability whatsoever and perhaps any charm when it comes to women. His baseball coach, coach Little ( Steve Zahn) was portrayed as being more of a ladies men than Marshall even though he is a middle aged alcoholic and washed up ex minor league baseball player, who cannot have a committed relationship with a female. Despite Coach Little's inability to care for any of the women that he has been involved with he feels extremely sympathetic toward Marshall. So he allows Calvin to be apart of the college team even though he failed the the tryouts. The climax starts to build when the coach soon decides that Marshall is not a good baseball player after all, because of his own lustful feelings toward the volleyball player. The film repeatedly showed the baseball team practicing on the rugged fields of the community college but never showed them ever playing an actual game. Apparently it seems as though the extra rolls of film had to be reserve for the volleyball scenes. The scenes also switches back and forth to Marshall and the depressed coach Little who is always drinking beer at a local bar.
While in the semi dark theatre, there were no laughter or movement the entire time from the audience, or in other words the viewers, well except for a woman who ran out quickly to use the restroom half way into the movie and came back 20 minutes later. I figured the audience was either in a state of shock or just fast asleep, even though it was way past nap time. Meanwhile I am tempted to leave but kept thinking we just spend 18 bucks to see this movie and that was with a student discount, which is a lot of money considering the future implications of the US Economy. So we stayed as if some strange force or power was keeping us stuck to our seats. Maybe it was just mere shock mingled with a wish that perhaps there will be a twist? I kept thinking please anything..... something intriguing or humorous, but there were nothing interesting at all, that is not what the director and producer wanted! I think their goal was to bore and disgust the viewers to death and if that was their very objective I applaud them for it because that is what they have achieved! I am convinced that the director has no clue on the technique of cinematography either because there were no artistic elements in the film or creativity in the story.
A huge setback and disappointment in the movie for much of the viewers were the crude scenes and profanity that was conveyed in the film. The only emotion that the film evoked in me other than boredom was the deep regretful sorrow that I had in knowing that I did not walked out of the theatre when I saw that the first 10 minutes of the movie's dialogue was laced with the coach's profane language.
