Break a Leg

This was the worst movie I saw at WorldFest and it also received the least amount of applause afterwards! I can only think it is receiving such recognition based on the amount of known actors in the film. It's great to see J.Beals but she's only in the movie for a few minutes. M.Parker is a much better actress than the part allowed for. The rest of the acting is hard to judge because the movie is so ridiculous and predictable. The main character is totally unsympathetic and therefore a bore to watch. There is no real emotional depth to the story. A movie revolving about an actor who can't get work doesn't feel very original to me. Nor does the development of the cop. It feels like one of many straight-to-video movies I saw back in the 90s ... And not even a good one in those standards.

I recently watched Break A Leg (2005) on Tubi. The film follows a struggling actor reaching the end of his rope, trying everything from studying to taking classes and working closely with his agent to land the roles he believes he deserves. Frustrated, he decides to take matters into his own hands.

Directed by Monika Mitchell (Deadly Midwife), the cast includes John Cassini (Chaos), Carol Mansell (Better Call Saul), Frank Cassini (The Watchmen) and Jennifer Beals (Flashdance).

I really watched this thinking it starred John Cusack...it doesn't. It does have a cameo by Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight), whose acting is a bit over the top and his character added little to the film. This also has fun cameos by Jennifer Beals and Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy). John Cassini does deliver a strong and authentic main character. There's a nice blend of desperation, hope and comedy in his performance. The storyline does have a great setup with some potential characters worth rooting for, but as the plot unfolds it losses some steam and ends as a dud.

Despite a promising setup and potential characters to root for, the plot loses momentum and concludes as a bit of a letdown. Break A Leg offers a unique character story with a great premise but lacks pull-through. I would give it a 5/10 but suggest watching it once.

A struggling actor finds the best way to break into Hollywood is to start knocking off the competition. But what makes Break a Leg a real gem is the sardonic look into the existence of the struggling (and not so) LA actor. It brings us into that world with effortless irony and wit. It's also got a polished look and very adept direction under Monika Mitchell. Break a Leg is one of those rare independent films that doesn't compromise its production values at any level. The writing is tight, the dialogue first rate. Cassini is an actor's actor, and the role really shows off his talents. The climactic scene between him and Rene Garcia is an instant classic, and may go down as one of the funniest Hollywood scenes of all time. I saw it at an advanced screening, and everyone in the audience laughed uncontrollably and raved about it afterwards.

I saw Break A Leg as the opening night film at the SF Indie fest on Feb 5th. Break A Leg follows the struggles of an actor (John Cassini) trying to make it in Hollywood. After continually losing out on roles to other actors, he resorts to violence to eliminate the competition.

This movie is very funny, and the audience was laughing throughout. The tone is a little uneven, particularly in the final third, but the well scripted dialogue and fine work by the actors pull it through in the end. John Cassini and Rene Rivera both do a great job in this movie. Hopefully both of them get a lot more work in the future. There are also a number of hilarious cameos by Hollywood regulars.

The film is shot pretty well, and most of the visuals look good. The sound left a little to be desired - some of the dialogue is a little muddy and hard to understand. (Note: this may be due to the theatre where I saw it. They had to restart the movie after we were about 5 minutes in due to 'audio difficulties.')

Overall, it's a decent but not great movie. I went with a group of six people to the movie and all agreed that there were some hilarious moments, but all-in-all it's a so-so movie. Is it worth a trip to the theatre? Maybe, if you like movies with an indie feel and enjoy send-ups of Hollywood. Is it worth watching if it ever came out on DVD? Definitely.

5/10

Fun facts:

-The director (Monika Mitchell) and the lead (John Cassini) are married.

-In a Q&A session afterwards, Monika Mitchell mentioned that there are a whopping 64 speaking parts in the movie.

I was pleasantly surprised I quite liked this movie. Witty writing (some "inside" jokes I got, others I didn't - maybe due to actors speaking on top of one another), great acting (notably John Cassini), great cameos, interesting and unique directing. I rented it to see Jeffrey Meek (very disappointed he was in it such a short time, blink and you'll miss him!) but found the movie remarkably entertaining. I'll actually watch it again before I send back to Netflix. I think actors and wanna-be actors will thoroughly enjoy this movie. The ending is somewhat expected but wish they'd done something different (and more positive). Too bad the movie wasn't better received except for in the "festival" market. I suggest it to anyone who loves the acting biz.