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Back in the day when he was still a kid, Patrick Nolan (Tim Realbuto,
young Patrick played by Drew Powell) was a star, had the lead in a popular
TV show, and it seemed he was on top of the world. But then he got too old
and his show got cancelled, later he was accused of sexual misconduct
(though never convicted), got blacklisted in the movie world, and now he's
an overweight drunk who's making his living as a private acting coach in
New York - and he hates every moment of it ... that is until his sister
Annie (Jenna Leigh Green) drags him along to a high school performance of Romeo
and Juliet, and while the play leaves a lot to be desired, Patrick
sees potential in the 17 year old lead Jeremiah Rosenhaft (Nolan Gould).
So he persuades his drama teacher (Natalie Roy) to send him over for some
mentoring. The mentoring at first is somewhat awkward as Jeremiah is
just your typical 17 year old with a lack of life experience to understand
most roles and plenty of mental blocks that keep him from his true
potential. In an unorthodox way, Patrick breaks them down one by one, even
if it's a painful experience for Jeremiah, and teaches him to really want
to act. However, Patrick seems to enjoy mentoring Jeremiah a bit too much
and pushes on and on - until his own past threatens to get into the way
... Now this is really an actors' movie if there ever was one,
not just because of the subject matter but because the film for the most
time focuses on just its two main actors, sends both on an emotional
rollercoaster, while the direction gives the actors enough space to
breathe life into their characters, fulfilling more an observing than a
guiding position (though without ever letting the movie drift off into
stagyness). And the two leads really give it their all, add depth to their
already colourful characters, and this way get the most out of the
premise, making this a pretty impressive piece of film.
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