Film Review: I'm Reed Fish
The inherent problem with people telling their life stories is that, most of them are pretty boring. For Reed Fish, this is not necessarily the case- in fact, the writer felt his life to be so compelling that he put his own name in the title. So beget I'm Reed Fish, a quirky, indie-esque flick that details the sometimes sad, sometimes funny, and sometimes happy life of a kid who tried his best to shake the small-town out of him before realizing that sometimes, what you're looking for isn't very far at all.
The heart of it all is very familiar- love, sorrow, loss, and happiness confined to a small population rife with all its little eccentricities- but the time we get to spend with Reed Fish (the character) himself helps give the audience a better understanding of who he is, and why he does the things he does. Fueled by family tragedy, he explores the shadow cast by his late father as he literally brings the small town of Mud Meadows together as its morning radio host. His life begins to unravel when a girl from his past returns to disrupt his almost perfect life, bringing doubt and uncertainty about who he truly loves. It unfolds unspectacularly, until about 1/3 of the way through when the audience receives a much needed jolt as the film structure becomes greatly more three dimensional. The story then, is given much needed depth, and becomes more interesting, and at its core, alive.
It is cast very well- all the personas in involved are an extremely likable bunch; Gilmore Girls' Alexis Bledel, Jay Baruchel (who does admirably as the title character), and Schuyler Fisk prop the film up as its protagonists, with barely-there but noticeable side spots for the likes of Katey Sagal, SNL's Chris Parnell, and Shiri Appleby (Roswell). Much of their behavior plays out very much like how an indie film would- to the backdrop of sweetly melancholic indie/folk tunes that seem to trickle out at just the right emotional moment. Interestingly, Schuyler Fisk, who is an established musician as well as actor, plays an important part in giving the film its "heart" ... thanks greatly to her music (which fit the sentiments of the film almost exactly).
It is a modest film, with modest aspirations that are all but met. It won't shake the indie waves as much as a Garden State did, but like it, it has just as much sentimentality. But most importantly, its heart is in the right place.
I'm Reed Fish is available now on DVD. Pick it up from Amazon.