wes-connors
Approaching retirement age, Connecticut parks and recreation worker Ned Beatty (as Murph) is partnered with young ex-convict Liev Schreiber (as Paul). In dire need of cash, the latter held up a "Dunkin' Donuts". While Mr. Beatty looks back on a life soon culminating with his own tragedy, Mr. Schreiber looks forward to a possible second chance. We begin with Schreiber's hot-tempered encounter with manipulative Campbell Scott (as Ronnie Fredrickson). This begins a father/son bond between the two leading men. Beatty decides to lend Schreiber a helping hand, for reasons which become evident; as we learn about Beatty's relationship with his own, doomed son. Writer/director Tom Gilroy's story unfolds slowly, and includes a couple of disjointed vignettes, but strands weave together outside a funeral home; and, we are left uplifted, after listening to two extraordinary men save lives they never expected to save.******** Spring Forward (9/11/99) Tom Gilroy ~ Ned Beatty, Liev Schreiber, Campbell Scott, Catherine Kellner
photoann
I love well-executed films of personal transformation and this is one of the best I have ever seen. The filmmaker did an incredible job of casting, dialog, site selection, physical transformation of the two characters, story development, cinematography... I discovered the movie on IFC while working out today and I ended up working out an extra two hours, just so I would not miss any of the film. I was intrigued by the young character, unable to place him, having recently seen him on stage in NYC and as the film unfolded, the character lost the facial hair, and I recognized Liev -- who I believe to be one of today's greatest contemporary actors. Having lived in Ridgefield, CT for ten years, the references were near to my heart, and a wonderful surprise. I absolutely loved this movie.
george.schmidt
SPRING FORWARD (2000) ***1/2 Ned Beatty, Leiv Schreiber, Campbell Scott, Peri Gilpin, Ian Hart, Bill Raymond, Catherine Kellner. Excellent acting displayed by Beatty and Schreiber as parks department co-workers who bond together in a father/son capacity during the course of one life-changing year with fine turns by both an accomplished veteran character actor and a younger, promising one, respectively. Has the soul of a short story come to life that takes its sweet time to unfurl with more-than-meets-the eye shadings of its subjects. A real sleeper gem of independent filmmaking by first time writer/director Tom Gilroy.
kipconlon
This movie I guess has its heart in the right place but it's not well written, and the actors enjoy acting in it too much. The performances are pretty self-conscious, but then the writing's so self-conscious. No scene is of any especial consequence, and some of them--the penultimate scene, for instance--are downright ridiculous, a frantic attempt at some last minute payoff. On the up side Ned Beatty has a lot of energy and seemed to do the role as best as it could be done. I guess it's my own fault for watching past the first scene, which loudly hints that the movie will be a road to nowhere. Even if it does have good intentions, it's pretty manipulative, and not even all that successfully.
AD
