THE AMATEURS

Originally published in Verbicide issue #17

Newmarket Films/ Raygun Productions
100 min., dir. by Michael Traeger, with Jeff Bridges, Ted Danson, and Tim Blake Nelson

I was fortunate enough to catch The Amateurs at this year’s Sarasota Film Festival in Sarasota, FL. As part of an audience that included the first time writer/director Michael Traeger, I was pleasantly surprised by this independent comedy I had previously never even heard of. Of course, film festivals are known for exposing unknown films to the movie-going world, but when you hear the cast that makes up The Amateurs, you’ll be wondering along with me why this movie didn’t premier as a Hollywood blockbuster.

The film stars Jeff Bridges as Andy Sargentee, a citizen of the small town of Butterface Fields, who is currently experiencing a midlife crisis. His wife (Jeanne Tripplehorn from Mickey Blue Eyes and Waterworld) left him a year ago to raise their only son with her new and extremely wealthy husband, played by Stephen Webber (of the TV series “Wings”). But while sitting in the local pub one night, stewing in his own self pity and misery, Andy has a brainstorm to not only earn some big bucks, but to finally make a name for himself. His solution? To make a pornographic film, of course. Andy realizes that pornography is annually a multi-billion-dollar industry, and it’s time for him and his friends to cash in. However, it does not take long for Andy and his loveable loser buddies to realize that they know nothing about filmmaking, and that making a porno is harder than it looks (no pun intended).

In the lead role, Bridges’ performance is priceless. Anyone who loved his character of “The Dude” in The Big Lebowski is going to be a reborn Bridges fan after viewing his latest work. The best way I can describe the character of Andy Sargentee is to imagine if The Dude had been ambitious, and not just a lazy stoner. Bridges delights all with his laidback dialect and that constant facial expression that radiates perpetual confusion and disbelief. But the laughs do not end with Bridges. Playing his best friend is Tim Blake Nelson, who you might remember as the sweet, dim-witted Delmar in 2000’s O Brother, Where Art Thou? Also making an appearance in his first silver-screen performance since 1999 is Ted Danson in a hilarious turn as “Moose,” an obviously gay bachelor who fails to hide his homosexuality with overtly macho statements. Also contributing outstanding performances are Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous), William Fichtner (The Longest Yard), and Joe Pantoliano (a.k.a. “Joey Pants”), whose most recent work includes Bad Boys II and a short stint on “The Sopranos.” Each actor brings their own unique sense of humor to the film, making The Amateurs just as much an ensemble piece as it is a focus on Andy’s attempt to sort out his life. Case in point, the film just wouldn’t be the same without Pantoliano’s character, who all the guys refer to simply as “Some Idiot.”

I would agree that it’s a safe assumption to think that a movie about a small town making a porno would contain copious amounts of nudity and sex. But therein the lies the charm of The Amateurs — Andy and his partners are too decent and conservative to even look at the actors while they’re filming them. Add in genius repartee between the frustrated filmmakers during their hunt for small town porn stars, and you’ve got a sincerely entertaining movie. I admit the plot does sound a little childish when put into printed words, but the characters’ attempt to remain adult about the whole ludicrous scenario makes for a genuinely funny contradiction.

I apologize for giving you such a tease, but trust me that the wait will be worth it. I didn’t think sexual humor could get any funnier than The 40 Year Old Virgin, but it turns out I was wrong. Paired with a touching side story of a father and son relationship, The Amateurs is a film that can be appreciated by anyone, especially those of us who have ever pursued a dream, in spite of the fact that we’re totally out of our league. As Andy Sargentee puts it, “If you look through history, the best stuff didn’t come from guys knowing what they were doing, it came from guys who tried really hard.”