Peter MacNicol plays the leader of a small-time East Coast jazz quintet in the 1960s, who tries to get the band out of playing small-time clubs and into bigger and better bookings. The trouble is that the band isn't really all that good; the other members think of it more as a hobby than a vocation, something that doesn't sit well with MacNicol. This is a pleasant little low-budgeter, atmospheric but not showy, and with a seat-of-the-pants attitude about it. MacNicol is a bit too mannered sometimes, and there are no real dramatic highs or lows; it moves along at a pretty even keel, with a sort of "Diner" flavor about it. The cast is mostly unknown but does a good job. Charlotte D'Amboise has a nice turn as a ballet teacher to whom MacNicol finds himself attracted, and there's a neat bit towards the end of the picture when the band is playing at a bigger club than they're used to and find themselves backing up a singing "birthday boy." A nice little movie overall, nothing flashy, but well-made with a good story and interesting characters. Well worth a look.
