With its Hollywood setting, this film focuses on the disposal culture we live in as it applies to people – in this instance, those in Hollywood who no longer fit the "young and beautiful" mould or don't serve a purpose any more. We see this through the relationship between a troubled student (Cameron) seeking to make a short film and a bitter old man (Flash) who he meets in the cinema who was once a lighting man for one of the main studios. As the film progresses, Cameron learns about abuses in retirement homes and comes to appreciate the value of those that society puts to one side while they wait to quietly die.
This film was suggested to me by another IMDb user and, while I have seen bad and good films off such suggestions, I will nearly always end up watching something I wouldn't have otherwise done – which in itself is a good thing I think. Man in the Chair interested me from the start thanks to the link to classic films, the main character being a film fan and of course the cast names in the credits. The plot offers potential to be something genuinely touching and smart and there is no denying that the subject matter is particularly worth your attention. I presume this must have also been a rather personal project for writer/director Schroeder given that his resume features performing these same functions on several films in the Cyborg "franchise" – a series of films very different from the one I was watching from him today! So all of this offered me hope that the film could be smart, pointed and moving. Such a shame then to see that the writing and directing are the weakest parts of this film because it is here (the material particularly) where the film is allowed to slip into sentimentality and cliché in a way that really prevents the potential and the real emotional connection come through to the viewer. The warning signs are there early on because there are things in the script that just don't work and one sort of accepts them in order to get past them and into the rest of the film. Cameron's character is odd and his "troubled" nature is a bit excess for the person we see in all other scenes. The way he gets into a relationship with Flash (and the way that develops) also doesn't really work. These little warning signs are shown for what they are as the film progresses and where one hopes for originality and insight, what we get is mostly easy sentiment, easy characters, easy scenarios and obvious plot development.
It is a real shame because even with these the film still just about works – albeit at a level below what it could have been. Part of this is that the film is still a warming and slightly touching experience – it is loaded with weakness perhaps but it comes with a truth and a "makes you think" quality that will still strike a chord with many viewers – perhaps helping the film to some degree. A much better part of the film working is that Plummer is really good and he works very well in the scenes he shares with Angarano; again, with these two and a very starry cast of older names playing their roles well, the potential just continues to sit there. Certainly a lot of the charm that the film does have comes from the cast. In terms of direction it feels like Schroeder has left them to it to a point and they could have done with more. Schroeder may also be responsible for the terribly unnecessary blurry/edit effects that are frequently used – they seem gimmicky, add nothing and ultimately started to grate on me with their sheer unwarranted presence.
Man in the Chair is a solid little film if you can accept the abundance of cliché and heavy sentiment and ignore the potential that the cast and subject matter gave it. It has a slight warmth to it and it is a worthy film but Schroeder just can't make it what it should be – if there is a cliché trap he falls into it; if there is emotion he finds sentiment. The cast and the idea carry it and make it reasonably engaging, but I'll be honest and say that the near-misses and problems with it really limited my enjoyment of it.
This film was suggested to me by another IMDb user and, while I have seen bad and good films off such suggestions, I will nearly always end up watching something I wouldn't have otherwise done – which in itself is a good thing I think. Man in the Chair interested me from the start thanks to the link to classic films, the main character being a film fan and of course the cast names in the credits. The plot offers potential to be something genuinely touching and smart and there is no denying that the subject matter is particularly worth your attention. I presume this must have also been a rather personal project for writer/director Schroeder given that his resume features performing these same functions on several films in the Cyborg "franchise" – a series of films very different from the one I was watching from him today! So all of this offered me hope that the film could be smart, pointed and moving. Such a shame then to see that the writing and directing are the weakest parts of this film because it is here (the material particularly) where the film is allowed to slip into sentimentality and cliché in a way that really prevents the potential and the real emotional connection come through to the viewer. The warning signs are there early on because there are things in the script that just don't work and one sort of accepts them in order to get past them and into the rest of the film. Cameron's character is odd and his "troubled" nature is a bit excess for the person we see in all other scenes. The way he gets into a relationship with Flash (and the way that develops) also doesn't really work. These little warning signs are shown for what they are as the film progresses and where one hopes for originality and insight, what we get is mostly easy sentiment, easy characters, easy scenarios and obvious plot development.
It is a real shame because even with these the film still just about works – albeit at a level below what it could have been. Part of this is that the film is still a warming and slightly touching experience – it is loaded with weakness perhaps but it comes with a truth and a "makes you think" quality that will still strike a chord with many viewers – perhaps helping the film to some degree. A much better part of the film working is that Plummer is really good and he works very well in the scenes he shares with Angarano; again, with these two and a very starry cast of older names playing their roles well, the potential just continues to sit there. Certainly a lot of the charm that the film does have comes from the cast. In terms of direction it feels like Schroeder has left them to it to a point and they could have done with more. Schroeder may also be responsible for the terribly unnecessary blurry/edit effects that are frequently used – they seem gimmicky, add nothing and ultimately started to grate on me with their sheer unwarranted presence.
Man in the Chair is a solid little film if you can accept the abundance of cliché and heavy sentiment and ignore the potential that the cast and subject matter gave it. It has a slight warmth to it and it is a worthy film but Schroeder just can't make it what it should be – if there is a cliché trap he falls into it; if there is emotion he finds sentiment. The cast and the idea carry it and make it reasonably engaging, but I'll be honest and say that the near-misses and problems with it really limited my enjoyment of it.