Second Best

Well, i thought this film was going to be an uncomfortable and depressing experience, dealing as it does with personal failure and the jealousy, despondency and self-loathing it can create. But as it turns out, this film is a gem - real, uplifting, moving but unsentimental. It illustrates perfectly how people's unfulfilled aspirations and desires and their search for "success" can blind them to the true worthwhile and positive aspects of themselves and their lives.

I'm currently reading a book about status anxiety. This is a human condition that is rampant in modern society and it effects all of us to some extent - the need to keep up appearances with our peers (in a material sense) or else believe ourselves to be unloved, useless failures. money = success. This film illustrates this condition perfectly. It also shows us that no one can be a "loser" when they have good friends, people they love and care about and can have fun with. At the end of the day who is the real loser? The millionaire with no friends (real that is) or the toilet attendant with many?

Very few films like this are made any more - intelligent, though-provoking, profound and uncompromising. No car chases, no unnecessary violence, no product placement, just a very good film.

I saw SECOND BEST last year at the Sundance Film Festival. Eric Weber has brought us a heart-felt and touching film about the lovable loser Elliot (played by the always entertaining Joe Pantoliano). Beyond being bitter sweet, this film is also very funny. It is not very often that a movie combines being so tragic and hilarious as well as Eric has in this film.

As a woman, I also found this movie enlightening. It is rare look into what men are really thinking from envy of wealthy friends to attraction to women they cannot have. This movie is required viewing for every woman out there, believe me, it makes you think! See this movie. You will be glad you did.

Crossing the line from sweet to saccharine is all too easy, with the majority of films that dare go near true sentiment ending up knee-deep in aspartame. But Second Best prances on that line with aplomb and grace. I realize that, "sweet," would not be the first adjective out of one's mouth after seeing Second Best, but sweet is what it is. Sweet it is to realize that average is as human as we get; sweet it is to realize that jealousy is as common as the cold; sweet it is to realize that real success has little to do with winning; and sweet it is to once again realize that the journey is far more interesting than the destination.

So, at the risk of sounding a bit gooey, myself, I think Eric Weber has come up with a very sweet and funny movie. It deals with failure, misguided potential and loss but you actually come out of the movie feeling good. Good in the way that Garden State, or the Station Agent, or even The Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind makes you feel. The direction, the dialog and the performances – especially that of Joey Pantalione – ring true and honest and real without even a hint of the after taste of Sweet 'N Low. To me it was the kind of movie that you wished didn't end so fast. It's good for all of us second besters. The winners can stay away.

This is a wonderfully touching film which ventures into the hearts of middle-aged men and their insecurities. I loved watching 'Second Best,' for me it confirmed what I already knew; men have close friendships too! Although these men displayed obnoxious, juvenile natures and immature sensibilities they weren't above turning to a good friend for approval. The writer took time to craft and create characters with complex needs and difficult, painful life situations. This made the film very appealing to me as I was able to empathize with these male characters. Though there were few females amongst the cast, they provided interesting comic relief. These woman were portrayed as quirky, funny and smart people.

There was an element to the film that felt home-made. As the landscapes danced over the screen, the montage sequences read as if on a home video. I felt that I was watching shots of my childhood town drive by my eyes.

I must admit that seeing a 3.8/10 by IMDb users before I saw this film was not the most encouraging thing for me to read before seeing this movie, which was played for the Trenton (NJ) Film Society last night. But I was pleasantly surprised. Joey "Pants" is actually restrained in this role, and isn't his typical over-the-top screaming character. All the other performances are also quite strong, especially Boyd Gaines. Normally, a film where people are wallowing in their inadequacies is NOT something I'm typically attracted too...that whole "victim culture" is something that I despise. But the film doesn't harp on that aspect as much as I thought it would. Or perhaps it's just that the writing is so superb. I hope this becomes more widely released, as I think it's definitely a worthwhile independent film to see.