BETTER LATE
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1997 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
"There may not be much of it left, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you," practices 70'ish Hal, while kneeling in front of an empty sofa. "Will you marry me?"
Rod Roeser, giving an empathetic and serious performance as Hal, the would-be bridegroom. Hal has never been married so his sister drops by to give him his mother's wedding ring to ensure that he will be completely ready.
Filmmaker Jessica Yu debuted BETTER LATE, her latest short film, at the 1997 Sundance Festival. Although I think of her as a documentarian since she has been associated with two Academy Award winning documentaries, BETTER LATE is a fictional short story. (Yu won the 1996 Oscar for BREATHING LESSONS: THE LIFE AND WORK OF MARK O'BRIEN and was the associate producer of the 1995 winner MAYA LIN: A STRONG CLEAR VISION.)
The beauty of BETTER LATE shines in the meticulousness of Hal's preparation. From getting matching forks for his candlelit dinner to choosing just the right music and wardrobe, much thought is invested in his every decision. (Will he go for a youthful look with an Hawaiian shirt or should he shoot for somber and serious with a mortician's blue suit and a banker's suspenders?)
The film wastes little time on dialog or even facial expressions, rather it is in the details of the set decoration and body language that the intricacies of the story unfold.
Yu was at a screening where she showed this and two other of her works. The most surprising revelation about this film was that she had 40 people read for the part of Hal after the casting director had already rejected 40 others. Good shorts are much harder to develop than they may seem.
BETTER LATE runs about 10-15 minutes. It is not rated, but would be G. The film will probably not interest those under ten, but would be acceptable for any age. I recommend this touching short to you and give it ** 1/2.
**** = A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = Totally and painfully unbearable picture.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: April 20, 1997
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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