After watching "Little Surprises" all I can say is this: Jeff Goldblum should go back to the director's chair more times. He's a master storyteller, knows how to pick great
actors (both known or little known) and he knows how to develop a story that wasn't even written by him. I wonder how Showtime convinced him to direct such a curious, funny,
engaging and surprising story. And as reward he was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Short - Live Action category (in a year that two other actors also made their very first
short films, Griffin Dunne - who became a feature film director - and Christine Lahti, who end up winning the Oscar). Anyway, the 1990's were a great decade for many first-timers
behind cameras.
"Little Surprises" tells the story of a young couple (Kelly Preston and Sam Whipple) who are all excited for their wedding day and the man decides to invite his own family
to spend the previous day at their house. And they come: his parents (Julie Harris and Rod Steiger), with the man being a completely obnoxious character full of demands; his
sister and her boyfriend (Christine Cavanaugh and Kenneth Moskow) and his younger brother (Mark Pellegrino). This latter character is the one we must pay some great attention: his
presence was totally granted, he was out of rehab for quite some time and he was distant from everyone but he showed up. Plot twist: though the girl doesn't know anyone from her
fiyance's family she knew the brother before and something happened between them in a not so distant past. Feelings emerge from both parties, so what's gonna happen now?
Filled with awkward moments stuffed with a great sense of humor, this one left me more in a state of suspense and thrill than just seeing how comical any situation could
turn out. The little surprises from life are basically a mixture of emotions that it depends on each person and their experiences in knowing how to feel them, how to embrace or
accept things, reactions and all then comes the moment to take action and see the record straight. Preston character goes through a rollercoaster of emotions to the point she can't
hide things anymore, she loves the problematic brother and she's so into him that the marriage might be put off for good in a heartbeat. This is one of those movies where the
challenge is also on us. What would we do if facing similar scenario? To abandon everything and follow our truest desires? Whom do we love, actually? The one we built some years
together or the one who touched us in a special way for one night? There's also some questionings beyond the woman's dilemma - what about dealing with a loud bigot old-timer like
the dad character? Steiger is something else with such role, it's so erratic that it manages to become awkwardly funny.
Truth be told but the title says it all and it's not just about the story itself (perfect by the way, except for a lack of some better resolution). This short has so many
little yet great surprises that you may wonder why you haven't seen before or even a story written in a non-cliched way. It's a small film under the radar of many viewers - unless
you're a die hard fan of any of the people involved with - that it's a pity it isn't more well-known (and let's face it, short film enthusiasts are quite rare here and elsewhere).
The ensemble cast is one of the greatest put together, everyone is pretty good here and they really enjoy themselves in the roles they were given. Goldblum was really lucky to have
them, from the established veterans from the Golden Era of Hollywood to the newcomers of the 1990's, this junction of generations made this immensely enjoyable. 10/10.
