This is a great little film, about 1000 times better than anyone could have
expected, given the tumultuous "Project Greenlight" backstory and the fact that it was written and directed by novices. The concerns of being too melodramatic
were obviously addressed and taken seriously, given the fact that many scenes -- including the brick wall scene with the father, the group hug and Shia's crying in the hospital -- were all mercifully absent from the version I saw last night at the Arclight, where the filmmakers were in attendance to answer questions.
Also contributing to the film's success were good camerawork, excellent editing, a brisk pace, and a score that, while instrumentally reminiscent of "American Beauty" (in both its use of tablas and quiet piano notes during the romantic
scenes) helped tremendously in conveying teenage angst and confusion.
"Project Greenlight" may seem a rare and wonderful treat for struggling
filmmakers, but it also must be an ungodly ordeal, given not only the media
attention, but the difficulty of the assignment itself (Pete Jones managed, also remarkably, to come through relatively unscathed last year, though his film was not as good as this one).
So whatever you want to say about these guys (and there seems to be quite a
bit of animosity and, understandably, jealousy), the bottom line is they survived making a first feature without going insane, and did it while a documentary crew followed their every move, publicly recording their best and worst moments. To me, that alone is a remarkable achievement, and as a filmmaker myself, I can
guarantee that most moments on a low budget first feature are far less than
great.
As I told them last night before the Q and A, they should be extremely proud of what they accomplished, no matter how the film came out. The fact that it's a funny, entertaining and -- in my view, well-directed -- entry into the coming-of- age genre is merely icing on the cake, and LA and New York Times critics can
be damned -- because they've never made a film, and never will.
Kyle, Efram and Erica, I congratulate you, and wish you the best of luck.
