Customer Reviews

Jack Goes Boating

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

JACK GOES BOATING sneaks up on you. With a very small cast, very little dialogue, slow movement, and stuttered sound this little film slowly unravels a story about reconstructing tenuous lives for two awkward and damaged people who wrongly place their role models in the personas of pathological people. Robert Glaudini wrote the play on which this film is based and then thankfully wrote the screenplay for its transfer to film. Philip Seymour Hoffman produces, directs and stars, and once again proving he is an artist of great dramatic range.

Jack (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is an obese, socially inept limousine driver who tunes out the world by wearing earphones to his recorded reggae music. He wants something better, even if that is driving for MTA, but he is buried in the paperwork and bureaucracy. His fellow limo driver is Clyde (Jack Ortiz) who is married to Lucy (Daphne Rubin-Vega) who works for a mortuary run by Dr Bob (Thomas McCarthy) who gives seminars on life that require telemarketing. There is a very plain new girl telemarketer Connie (Amy Ryan) with deep-seated issues of her own who faces being fired for being inept until a subway altercation increases her fortitude and she starts closing deals in her job. Clyde sets up Jack with Connie but with his lack of relationship skills almost blunders the setup. In the middle of winter Jack promises Connie that they will be dating by summer when Jack can take her boating. Clyde teaches the inept Jack how to swim, Lucy encourages Connie to take Jack seriously, and Jack accidentally promises Connie he will make dinner for her - something that really makes Connie trust Jack and find him desirable. Jack takes cooking lessons from Cannoli (Salvatore Inzerillo, a chef we soon discover Lucy has had affairs with) and with the swimming lessons preparing Jack for boating and the cooking lessons at Lucy and Clyde's apartment (Jack lives in his father's basement with only a hot plate!), the preparations for Jack and Connie to become connected are set. But very soon Jack learns from Clyde that Lucy is unfaithful, Lucy lets Jack know that Clyde has been unfaithful and when the time comes for Jack and Connie to have the 'dinner' with Lucy and Clyde, a volcanic reaction occurs , changing all the preparations in many ways. The interaction of the quartet of players show that life is a series of love, betrayal, friendship and grace. The manner in which the 'teaching couple' and the 'learning couple' find each other is both tender and pathetic - a balance that each of the quartet of players plays with aplomb.

Hoffman takes Glaudini's play to new heights and the result is film that is insightful in the say it opens our eyes to the microstories that surround us. Grady Harp, May 11

Jack Goes Boating marks the directorial debut of one of America's most accomplished and one of my personal favorite actors, the brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman. The man has been a spark in such films as Spike Lee's touching 25th Hour and the Charlie Kaufman-helmed surrealist mind-bender Synecdoche, Ny. His direction here is understated, his film shambling but not entirely bleak. Jack Goes Boating is a drifting picture, but it is a winner because of its heart. It could have, given the subject matter, a relentlessly dour experience. Instead, Hoffman incorporates both the happy and the sad in mostly equal measures. A small film, but a success.
The film centers on a neurotic, rasti-loving New York limo driver with a penchant for pot and a nearly overwhelming sense of day-to-day isolation. He latches onto a couple whose marital fabric is stretching from past indiscretions, through whom he is introduced to an equally neurotic young woman named Connie who seems to have a good if oft-trampled heart.
In some ways, Jack Goes Boating feels a lot like a Cheever or a Raymond Carver short story. There is not a lot of action, the story centering mainly on character interactions. It is plodding but never dull. There are many surprises, actually, such as a weird subway scene and a dinner party climax for the ages. Despite what its detractors will no doubt claim, the film strikes a resonant tone. It seems "real", for lack of a better word. Hoffman's performance is understated but always reliable and Amy Ryan is excellent as the damaged Connie. The two leads are ultimately a conjoined foil for the other couple whose marital pains provide the film's moral center, as well as dramatic tension.
Indie enthusiasts take note, the soundtrack is also quite interesting. Though the song choices are generic, the bands represented are some of my favorites, Grizzly Bear and Fleet Foxes among them. Ultimately, this is a soft film with a lot of memorable scenes, snappy dialogue and while it may meander, that is its charm. Very poignant.

This film was exactly what I thought it would be, and more.

Philip Seymour Hoffman directs and stars in this quiet, quirky film about a man named Jack. Jack and Connie are set up on a blind date by their married friends, Clyde and Lucy. Clyde and Lucy seem very together and ambitious, while Jack and Connie are basically loner losers.
But from this humble, awkward first date emerges a real relationship and passion for life. Throughout the film we see very little of Jack and Connie, or Lucy and Clyde, together, but we really get to know them as individuals and couples.

The perfection Clyde and Lucy exude quickly diminishes to show the tarnished dysfunction they actually inhabit together. The denial and lack of love is painful to watch, while Jack's hopefulness and devotion are truly touching. The lesson this film taught me made it worth watching (the last line is so beautiful).

Some pretty scary and violent (more verbal than physical) moments show the depth of the actors in this film. This is definitely an offbeat film, so it may not be for you.

And the soundtrack is amazing!!

Very quirky and dark, but with enough sentimental moments to endear you, Jack Goes Boating is a good film.

In his directorial debut, Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman also stars as the shy and simple Jack. Bob Glaudini adapted his acclaimed off-broadway play for this movie, where Hoffman reprised his role on stage.

Set in New York City, Jack drives a limo for his uncle. Jack's sole friends, Clyde and Lucy, have their own problems and ambiguities. They set up Jack on a blind date with Connie (Amy Ryan) that ignites a narrative comprised of a series of drab superfluous occurrences. The underlying theme seems to be misery and monotony. Jack and Connie are two uncommitted single individuals with their own personal and social issues, and are unconsciously yet successfully withdrawing into the urban background of anonymity. Together and in each other they discover the desire to begin a burgeoning relationship. Ironically, the friends who brought them together are battling the crisis of a failing and unsettled marriage.

So, Jack goes boating because... well, I suppose I shouldn't spoil it here. Let's just say he wants to rise above his fears and deficiencies. He overcomes his fear of water, as well as his lack of skills in the kitchen, in the very basic interest of self-improvement. Oh, and he also wants to impress his newfound love interest.

Love and friendship, lies and betrayal, achievement and collapse. "Jack Goes Boating" is casually situated in a slice of working-class New York City life. The writing and acting is brutally genuine. Hoffman demonstrates his versatile talents behind the camera and in front of it. Quixotic and exquisite, the movie is an informal tale of love that comes and goes like a snowflake in winter. Depending on your taste, you will either hate it or appreciate it.

Highly recommended.

(DVD review)
Philip Seymour Hoffman directs and plays the lead character in a screen adaptation of Bob Glaudini's play "Jack Goes Boating." There are a lot of things to like about this film, including the "ordinary guy" aspect of the character Jack. He's somebody who's struggling with many of the same things the rest of us are, such as relationship issues and getting a better job, but he works hard to maintain a "positive vibe." The story is about two couples, all four people portrayed very well by the actors who played them, especially John Ortiz as Clyde. But it's a lot of the smaller things that made me like "Jack Goes Boating," including the effective use of music, both songs and score; plus such storytelling touches as the way Jack tries to visualize the things he is learning. The central scene in the movie, the dinner party, was a bit hard to watch. Still, I acknowledge its importance and saw how it ties into the rest of the story, how it is both the outcome of what came before it and affects what comes after it.

The extras on the disc are fairly minimal, with two short featurettes and two even shorter deleted scenes.

Every year, there are a fair share of idiosyncratic character pieces that pop up in the indie film scene that are loaded down with critical hyperbole proclaiming them as comedic masterworks. And nine out of ten times, these films (marketed as comedies) leave mainstream audiences perplexed. "Jack Goes Boating" is a prime example of just such a film--albeit one with a pretty impressive pedigree. Directed by and starring the great Philip Seymour Hoffman with the terrific Amy Ryan providing support, let me make one thing clear before I go any further--I am EXACTLY the audience for this film. In fact, when it was in town theatrically, I was going to go but it only lasted one week in our local movie houses. So I knew what this film was, had my expectations firmly in check, and was eager to jump right in! Well, truth be told, Hoffman's work left me a little cold with its remote awkwardness.

I appreciate films that can mine comic inspiration from the world's disconnectedness. "Jack Goes Boating" assembles the requisite damaged oddballs and brings them together to achieve maximum quirkiness. I'd describe the plot, but it is really rather superfluous. In summary, Hoffman and Ryan play an unlikely pair brought together by their married, but increasingly troubled, friends (John Ortiz and Daphne Ruben-Vega). That's about it. Will the pair be able to overcome their own problems to unite as a post modern example of healthy couple-hood? Or will you care? That might be a far more astute question. On some level, the viewer must be able to connect with the characters--preferably to like them, but absolutely essentially to understand them. Here, the characters stand as constructs--bits of weirdness with no real world explanation to their social deficiencies. If you knew the central characters in your real life, you would run in the opposite direction so as not to be sucked into their unexplained and self-imposed misery.

I didn't hate the movie, per se, I was just completely removed from it. Anyone, however, judging the marketing campaign and picking this up as a robust comedy might feel a bit betrayed. I knew what to expect. Still, Ryan is glass menagerie brittle while Hoffman is monosyllabic awkwardness. Neither character is developed much beyond superficial qualities that would brand them social pariahs. Ortiz stands as the only member of the cast that possessed an iota of joy or genuine warmth--and the film progressively makes him less and less palatable. At the end, I didn't care about anyone in the film and in a program billed as "heartfelt"--this is a major stumbling block. There were moments I quite liked, but as a whole, the picture never gelled to be anything other than odd. KGHarris, 5/11.

Philip Seymour Hoffman makes his directorial debut with Jack Goes Boating. While watching this film it was easy to see the influence of Phillip Seymour Hoffman's personality and acting style in the characters and film's pace, mood, and message. The dialogue and characters' mannerisms are humorous at times (especially the final date scene), although the film has an overall subtle melancholy running throughout. The film moves a bit slow, with a heavy focus on dialogue and the character's emotional states and self-esteem. The entire film has that eccentric feel of New York City.

If you enjoy watching Philip Seymour Hoffman in his acting roles, then you'll enjoy this film. The characters are very unique and quirky. The story has a few unexpected happenings and the final scene will make you laugh.

This is a story about a shy nearly socially dysfunctional couple who are fixed up. Jack (Hoffman) is a Limo driver and Connie (Amy Ryan) works as a telemarketer for a funeral director. She thinks every man who places a hand on her arm is attempting to come on to her. Jack does whatever it takes to please Connie including cooking and swimming lessons. This is juxtaposed by John Ortiz and Daphne Rubin-Vega who have fixed them up. They are near the end of their relationship.

The movie was more sad than "heartfelt." It is funny if you enjoy laughing at poorly educated people trying to make a living. There were numerous awkward pauses, by design that simply didn't work well.

The lame piano music soundtrack was dreadful, but has become the norm for "heartfelt Indie" movies that lack a good enough plot to bring out emotion.

The acting was superb. Sex scene(?) wasn't as good as the one Hoffman did with Marisa Tomei. F-bomb, pot, hash, and cocaine use.

"THE CANNOLI WAS FINE" was a line spoken by Hoffman in a Homer Simpson moment. It was my laugh out loud moment.

THE QUICK TAKE: This is a well made movie with a number of strengths and some interesting elements. But it's ultimately not the nice little movie you were expecting and hoping for. It will probably be of most interest to film fans and those who follow Philip Seymour Hoffman.

FULL REVIEW: There's a lot in this movie that's well-done. The casting and acting support a script with deep character development. The script is reasonably interesting, if you're patient. The visuals are well done in a subtle way. The music complements the film without drawing too much attention.

And there's an inspirational and somewhat profound core in this movie - Jack and Connie keep moving closer to each other despite the increasing difficulties they see their friends entangled in. Hope triumphs. But the story has a more calamity and strangeness, and less humor, than the nice little movie you might be expecting to see.

In the end it seems so very real. Even the dreamier, movie-like sequences - when Jack swims, or as huge snowflakes slowly drift down on New York as the solo piano plays on the soundtrack - never obscure the very human qualities of Jack and Connie. That adherence to the real adds to the interest, and distinguishes it from most other films.

This movie struck me as Hoffman's take on Ingmar Bergman. Bergman's films have some similarities - deep character development, intense emotion at times, slow at other times. With despair and bleakness and occasionally humor and hope. (Woody Allen was a big Bergman fan too, and so this film is often reminiscent of a Woody Allen movie. But without the funny or the parody, mostly).

I wanted to like this movie. In the end I respected it. That's pretty good as movies go, but I won't be telling my friends they should see this movie.

Jack Goes Boating is an intimate view of two couples in New York City.

Jack and Clyde are two limo drivers. Clyde is married to Lucy who works for Dr. Bob a self help guru. Jack is socially inept; he spends a lot of time with Lucy and Clyde. Lucy sets up Jack with a new person at her office, Connie. The two are quickly attracted to each other. Jack promises Connie they will go boating in Central Park in a few months when it gets warmer. Jack can't swim, so Clyde teaches him how to swim.

Very gradually we get to know the four characters. Jack loves reggae music, it makes him happy. Connie has trouble getting people to commit in her sales job. Lucy is a free spirit. Clyde is much more complicated than his smooth talking handsome guy exterior.

Because the film is so intimate, there are uncomfortable moments, sometimes feeling like too much is revealed.

Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Jack and directs his first film. His acting is incredible; he has an amazing talent for playing a character with exactly the right amount of or lack of emotion. There is a subtle confidence I hadn't seen in his previous roles in Capote (Capote), The Big Lebowski The Big Lebowski), Almost Famous (Almost Famous), or Doubt (Doubt). Directing his first film, he displays a maturity not seen in more seasoned directors. The pacing of this film is nearly perfect. First time directors usually think things have to happen quickly in a film, pauses are a bad thing. Young musicians just learning how to play are victims of playing the notes too fast. Hoffman knows how to let the notes play out until you have heard the whole note; he allows just the right amount of time at the end of an edit to understand exactly what happened, to absorb the moment.

Amy Ryan plays Connie in a quirky, loving, innocent manner. Amy Ryan has appeared on The Office as Holly Flax, Michael's love interest. John Ortiz and Daphne Rubin-Vega round out the excellent main cast.

At almost and hour and a half, the film feels about the right length even though it moves along at a nice slow pace. Sequences that would normally be handled with one or two shots, are cut into three, four or five shots; giving a sense that not as much time has passed. The first three quarters feel like a film, there is no sense that this was originally a stage play converted to a film. The last half hour, where the four people spend the climax of the film in Clyde and Lucy's apartment, feels somewhat theatrical. There is a very realistic, for New York apartments, claustrophobia. I was reminded of the movie Marty - not much happens, but emotions run very high.

The cinematography is excellent. From the bonus features, the movie was filmed in actual small New York apartments. To achieve the look of this film had to be extremely difficult in these miniscule apartments. The color of the pool is amazing. The blue green water and Philip Seymour Hoffman's light colored body are a wonderful contrast.

The film is rated R for strong language and drug use. The F bomb is thrown around frequently, although this is not unusual for New York City. There are several scenes of people smoking marijuana and taking cocaine. There is no nudity, although there is an intimate scene with a woman in lingerie and a man caresses her breasts. It is possible that a mature younger viewer would find this film acceptable.

The DVD includes two very short deleted scenes that were gratefully removed from the film and should remain on the cutting room floor. A short segment on how the producer wanted to create a more realistic view of New York City. And a piece about how the stage play was adapted to a film. The latter two are fairly good bonus features.

Anchor Bay has a habit of releasing really bad movies. This film is a rare exception.

I loved the characters in this film, I cared what happened to them. This is a slow moving intimate view of four people, that has a 1950's feel of the film Marty (Marty (1954)). Philip Seymour Hoffman did an excellent job directing this film.