In continuing with my obsession of all things Jonathan Groff—the Lancaster native who gained fame on Broadway through "Spring Awakening," on the big screen in "Taking Woodstock," and on the TV hit "Glee"—I traveled to the big city (Philadelphia) to see "Twelve Thirty," an independent film by director Jeff Lipsky. "Twelve Thirty" is a dramatic and overpowering look into the lives of a family and a young man who enters and exits abruptly. Groff is that young man, Jeff, who befriends, falls in love, and loses his virginity to the youngest adult-daughter, date rapes the oldest daughter and has a tryst with the mother. Along the way, we learn many personal facts about everyone involved and even some facts about people who aren't even close to being involved. "Twelve Thirty" is far removed from the typical Hollywood movie, which makes it hard to review. At points, the film meanders through devastatingly boring dialog and at other times whips through a whirlwind of discourse that plays on every emotion. It is real. Sometimes in our personal lives we just don't want to hear what someone is saying, sometimes we don't want the conversation to end, this is the driving force behind "Twelve Thirty." During the walk from the theater to our dinner reservation, my wife and I talked and talked about the movie. We dissected scenes, connected with characters and wondered how much time we spent staring at naked bodies on the screen (yes, there is a lot of nudity). That conversation makes "Twelve Thirty" a good film. Get out and see "Twelve Thirty." If anything, it gives you something to talk about.
Review of Twelve Thirty
