Big City Dick: Richard Peterson's First Movie

For Seattleites, this picture is very LOCAL - - for all other places around the world, it touches the hearts of many.

It is the story about a man who has struggled to make a living as a street musician, putting everything he has earned into producing audio recordings, battling injuries thru the rugged wear and tear of standing alone on his own two feet in making many OTHERS see inside themselves, thus being discovered (and rewarded) by the music industry.

Two others that are not listed in the cast credits here include GARY CROW, a Dee-Jay legend in Seattle (http://www.kzok.com/airstaff/crow.shtml), and ROSS SHAFER, initial host of Northwest TV's "ALMOST LIVE" in the 80's, later to be known national in hosting "The New Match Game", and further becoming FOX Network's FIRST talk host with "The Late Show", having one significant program he personslly arranged featuring the ENTIRE living cast of 'Gilligan's Island' (all 7 including Tina) being together on TV for the last time in 1988.

Richard is doing fine and is now in the studio recording his 5th CD release, "Richard Peterson's UnGreatest Hits"

I saw this at the Seattle International Film Festival (with 3 of the filmmakers, the star and several "personalities" in attendence) because I've seen Mr. Peterson walking the streets of Seattle on a few occasions and was curious about him. To see him in person is to know that there's a story to the man. The reviews and anticipation were pretty high in the city for this locally made film and the theater was a full house.

Then the film. Although I can't agree with many of the sentiments about Peterson expressed by the previous reviewer, I do agree that the filmmakers provided a documentary that was either far too long for their subject, or far too superficial to justify 130 mins.

I would have expected the film to begin by directing our attention to his odd character (autism, obsession with "Sea Hunt" and golden-age tv shows, musicianship, hugging 'personalities', etc.) and then slowly reveal the real man, his past, his inner thoughts, etc.). We did get some of that; however, it's efforts were ingenuine, almost as if what was received was secondary to his goofy present.

I sensed that I was not alone; that many of those in the theater grew kind of bored with Peterson, that he wasn't that interesting, wasn't that funny, wasn't that talented that we would want to spend over 2 hours watching this film. But I'm not sure that he wasn't.

I feel like the filmmakers could've made a better and more revealing portrait of the man. Things were hinted at (abusive upbringing, inability to relate to his father, etc.) but never explored at length. Instead, our time was spent on his hugging and horn-blowing.

After the film, when the stage was filled with the makers of the film, it's interesting that questions were few to nil. I think that tells you of the level of emotional involvement we the audience had in the movie. Anyway, I give the movie a 3/10.

I had the pleasure of seeing this film at the George Eastman House theater a few days ago. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. A good sign that a film has done much more than expected.

With the film "Ray" practically everyone knows who Ray Charles is. But with the subject of Big City Dick, not many can say they know who Richard Peterson is except if you've lived in Seattle. And that's a shame. This man should be seen. This film should be seen by as many people as possible. With all the violence in the world and other docs covering such negative subjects, it's refreshing to see a film of this epic scope have such a sincere and emotional core to it.

I think the filmmakers did an Oscar worthy job of telling this man's story. A challenging endeavor for sure. The vast amount of footage used old and new is all on the screen. A huge reward should be bestowed on the editor for this. Almost flawless. A real story teller at work here. As a working filmmaker myself, I was humbled at the skill evident on the screen.

The story?

Richard Peterson looks like a street musician to the passing masses, but there is much more on the surface that meets the eye. This man has made some beautiful music. And without revealing anything, has found more success in one recording than most bands and musicians find in a whole career.

Richard is (from what I can tell) autistic but in a highly functional way. His artwork, his memory, his obsessions over old TV shows like Sea Hunt. Jeff Bridges appears in the film, at first in an interview, and next right along side Peterson himself. A great GREAT scene. Jeff seems a little aware of the camera and uncomfortable in a few quick shots but I would be too. You just never know what this guy will do next. The scene is ultimately very touching. Kudos to you Mr. Bridges for allowing such a unique and diverse person in your Hollywood world. Now I'm onto watching every Bridges film he has been in.

But what really grounds the film with it's emotional pull is the story of Richard and his group of TV and radio personalities that he has consistently visited since his youth. Richard is in his fifties.

His relationship with his mother. A woman with a secret of her own that is revealed to Richard but has promised to keep it to himself. A secret that will tie into his obsession with the personalities. This is where I think the film really pushes the norm. What could of easily been something thrown in at the beginning, it's saved for the right moment in the film.

It's hard to cover everything about this film. Such a rich tapestry of info even though some of which is missing. But it doesn't matter. I was much more interested in the world he lives in than the world we live in.

If you have the chance to see this. See it. My only disappointment is that no distribution company has picked it up. Which means I won't get to own this wonderful film anytime soon.

And I've seen all the Oscar nominated films, this one should be on that list. It would win if it was.

Great job on a great film.

The better movies I have seen in my 63 years stay with you, reflecting off your personal experiences and rattling around in your head, taking you to new places of understanding about what it is to be a human being. This is what "BIG CITY DICK: Richard Peterson's First Movie" did for me, after seeing it at the Somerville Theater as part of the International Film Festival of Boston. I have heard Richard's dialogue, seen his pain and his joy, and hummed his inimitable music for days now in a wonderful stream of conciousness hangover from seeing the movie. Richard is still with me, making me laugh, and making me realize how easy life can be for some of us.

Far from traditional, staid, documentary form, the filmmakers were able to take a most challenging subject and reveal it to me in layers. "Capturing the Friedmans" came close, but I found this movie superior in every way, "Dick" is far more of an epic. Most of all, I was impressed with the time it took to produce, to paint a complete portrait of a most unusual man. And finally, the filmmakers managed to do it all without turning this Rain-Man like character into an object of derision, nor over-expressed sentimentality.

Three cheers for the three directors. They've got a winner, and best of luck getting distribution!

Sheldon Levine, (Retired Acquisitions Exec.)

This movie was complex, in that the subject is autistic, and in many ways wants his story told. The subjects that were touched upon and not delved into too deeply (father, abuse) were obviously not cut deeply due to the fragile nature of autism. There was enough story there to know what happened to Richard as a boy, details not needed, and would have been harmful to Richard to probe and announce that which is obviously still painful for him. I thought the film-makers did a good job of covering Richard's life, history, his obsessions with certain famous people/music, and the struggles of his daily life (diabetes, self-care, finances). The movie was touching, beautiful, and showed the complexities of this special man. Clearly, I disagree with the person who thought this was too long, and not enough depth into the story.