Documentary | Film Analysis | Film Reviews | Vermont

‘In Jest’

1 Nov , 2000  

Written by Chris Cooke | Posted by:

A review of the film by Vermont teens in the 1998 Fledgling Film Screenwriting Workshop

"In Jest" was written and performed by the teenage participants in the 1998 Fledgling Film Screenwriting Workshop, so you would of course expect it to have more than its fair share of sophomoric humor — juvenile attempts at sexual appeal, multiple crude incidents involving cows, and the like. And "In Jest" doesn’t let us down in this regard. Nor does its story, featuring a grab-bag of teens in a small Vermont town, overwhelm us with drama. Far from it. There is a rather lackadaisical attitude toward plot; the movie seems as much about watching these kids hang out and meander about town as it is about anything else. What’s more, much of the dialogue seems written by someone who has logged many prime time hours watching from the couch.

And yet, "In Jest" does have a certain mellow charm, and after an initial period of only mild interest, I found myself warming up to it. The film centers around young vegetarian and filmmaker-to-be Irwin Crumb (Jeff Stone), currently directing his school play (about a cannibalistic restaurateur) and often seen about town filming for no particular reason at all. His fellow students include the brash, oversexed Lium (Moebius McCartney Simmons), the equally embittered Brijit (Katherine Brooke), and Ezra (Alexis Savine), who believes himself to be a frog. Meanwhile, the fate of the school depends on an important bond vote, which is set to take place the day after the play. Clearly, the play must go over well, but school principal Ed "Mr. B" Bergeron (Bill Raymond) is too busy with his perpetual war on skunks to be bothered to find out what Irwin’s play is about.


The cover of "In Jest."

If all this sounds like a wild-and-crazy laugh riot, well it’s not — the pace here is far too low-key, too good-natured for that. This is not to say that the film lacks humor, of course. But "In Jest"’s primary appeal lies in the apparent self-awareness of its creators — the fact that these kids seem to be half-heartedly poking fun at their own efforts and yet subtly reaffirming them as well. The result is a good-natured, playful, amusing work.

Perhaps due to the lackluster, drama-free plot, the teens’ acting is a bit ho-hum; but this is somehow fitting, given the slacker-esque pose their characters (and perhaps they themselves as well) are trying to affect in their pursuit of ever-elusive teenage cool. The adults fare better, especially Bill Raymond in his delightfully deranged performance as Mr. B.

All in all, "In Jest" won’t have you rolling on the floor or raving to all your friends, but it will make you smile. A good film to chill out to.

‘In Jest’ can be purchased at BuyIndies.com.


'In Jest' can be purchased at BuyIndies.com.

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