How Do You Write a Joe Schermann Song

I saw "How Do You Write a Joe Shermann Song" in New York City on December 13th. I thought that Gary King successfully created a solid, moving film with some great standout performances from its ensemble cast. I imagine tackling a movie musical is a pretty tall order, but Gary's unique style allowed his actors to bring themselves to the role, allowing the scenes to breathe and take shape organically. The film is gritty and real, sort of in the way "Once" felt when I first saw it, and you find yourself really rooting for the main characters. Christina was very strong in the lead role, as was Mark DiConzo, a versatile actor who also choreographed some of the dance numbers. Both sustained strong performances throughout the whole movie, allowing the audience to really connect to their characters. I thought Christina did a nice job of capturing the chemistry between her character and Joe Shermann, played by Joe Shermann. Debbie Williams gave a convincing performance as Summer Roberson, and is a wonderful singer with a huge voice. I also loved a lot of the supporting characters, especially Daryl Ray Carliles as the minion assistant Danny Boy, who tries so hard to please his producer boss, and says so much without any dialogue. The interactions between him and Jenn Dees were pitch-perfect, and got huge laughs at the screening and left the audience wanting more. All in all a good solid film, and one a lot of people in the entertainment business will be able to relate to.

I don't write reviews (ever). Not that I have anything against it, just that nothing has ever left a strong enough impression on me to warrant the time it takes to write a review (dramatic pause) until now.

My wife, best friend and I are all volunteers for the Phoenix Film Festival this year (which is a blast by the way). My buddy mentioned some musical that was about to show and we decided to sneak a peek at the first five minutes so we had something to make fun of over lunch. Seeing an amazing "diamond in the rough" film is the highlight of every festival; making fun of bad movies is a close second for a pair of failed (or failing) actors who have yet to make our mark. Joe Schermann was supposed to be only that: some cheese ball attempt at a contemporary musical that we could bash while we ate our Pita snacks.

We stole in and stood in the hallway to make our inevitable escape easier. Ten minutes later my friend turns to me and says (with an appropriate amount of shame in his eyes) "You wanna sit down?" Before I knew it the film was over, the lights were up and it was time to go do...whatever it was I was supposed to do. I've not stopped talking about this movie since. My wife saw it (in part at least to my incessant needling) and fell in deep in love with the flick as I did.

First of all: I wouldn't call this film a musical; at least not the way we've now been conditioned to think of them. This is an amazing movie that has music in it but the music adds to the narrative (unlike most musicals where the story is meant only to act as the set up for the next dance number). The filmmakers were able to walk the insanely thin line of "inserting song / dance number here" while moving the plot forward and further vesting the audience in the amazing (and not to be revealed in any way for fear of ruining valuable plot points by this review) experience that was: "How Do You Write A Joe Schermann Song".

Joe Schermann is such an amazing and talented musician he leaves no doubt as to why someone would choose to name a film after him. His acting is equally as rewarding - he has the gift of honest eyes and is able to simply "live" on camera instead of falling into the "what am I doing right now?" trap that a lot of indie-film / pseudo-method actors find themselves in.

The supporting cast deserves more than an honorable mention. Mark DiConzo with his always lovable if not only sometimes tolerable "make it happen" character, Debbie Williams as the golden voiced aspiring actress and Jenn Dees as the hilarious and over bearing, "I'm right / you're wrong" producer. However, the real stand out performance in this film is Christina Rose.

Christina is amazing. She can sing, dance, act, play piano and was the choreographer of the very impressive dance numbers. She has a level of talent reminiscent of old school movie stars like Cary Grant when an entertainer was exactly that, entertaining. The entire time spent watching Christina is done in a strange stupor as you try and figure out why the heck this girl isn't famous yet.

Last (and definitely not least) is the writer / director / producer Gary King. This film is so exceptionally unique in so many ways and each of them (I imagine) owes its existence to Gary King. He's a story teller in the truest sense of the term and is able to allow the audience a glimpse into the amazing world he creates without letting the window obscure the view (as so many directors do). He takes bold and daring chances that come close to riding the line of "gimmicky" but quickly transcend it into a realm of filmmaking where the director is truly in control and the viewer can sit back, relax and simply watch, comfortable in the knowledge that you're in good hands. If Gary's talent could be bottled, packaged and sold throughout Hollywood there would never be another flop. I believe the real question at hand may be: "How do you make a Gary King film?"

The ONLY thing that could be more fulfilling than watching "How Do You Write A Joe Schermann Song?" was watching the cast / crew accept their well deserved and hard earned awards for "Breakout Filmmaker" and "Audience Choice". To see how thrilled they were was, in itself, a thrill. They're impossible not to cheer for.

We've all had those experiences with movies that force you to keep your seat for a moment and revel in the fact that we just experienced exactly what it is we're looking to experience every time we go to see a movie. The scarcity with which we meet this feeling is part of the reason we grant it such high value. "How Do You Write A Joe Schermann Song?" is an amazing film and story that stays with you long after the credits have rolled.

I don't like musicals. But this isn't a musical. It's a beautiful movie that happens to have beautiful music throughout. Director Gary King is clearly a visionary. His choices are clear throughout the entire film. And his choices are bold. The choreography in the movie (choreographed by Christina Rose and Mark DiConzo) is so much fun and definitely a 'showstopper'. Ken Lampl, the film's composer is outstanding. It is clear that Ken was very deliberate in the music he wrote for all the characters that seem to all tie together to effortlessly. I left the theater with the music playing softly in my mind. Now, to the players. How can we talk about this movie without talking about Joe Schermann himself? Joe is brilliant. His music and lyrical skills are the envy of every classically trained music student. Not to mention that Joe is a wonderful actor. He's very honest and very natural. It's evident that he doesn't force the character. He just knows how to live on camera. Mark DiConzo was a pleasure to watch. His subtly is something that I know actors would want to understand and learn. He's funny, he can sing, he can dance. I cannot wait to see more of his work. Brilliant. And of course, it's time to talk about the lovely Christina Rose. She is a force. But this force is soft, graceful and elegant. She does does it all too. Producer, choreographer, singer, dancer, piano player and actor. She's one of those people that was clearly made for film. Her on screen presence is beautiful to watch and you can tell that she took the time to understand her character and her character's desire throughout the story. The soundtrack hasn't left my car since the day Christina gave it to me and I drive around the city belting out Joe Schermann's songs off key. I know everyone from the film is going to continue to make brilliant films. But I can't help but wish they would all collaborate one more time. It's obvious from the final result of this film that they all have amazing chemistry together.

I usually do not watch musicals .At this time I "had to" since a copy of the film was a gift from Gary . And my husband hardly watches movies at all...But ! Both of us were glued to TV completely in love with every moment of " How do you write..". Lovely , fresh , sweet , light , smart ...plain Beautiful !!! Actors were superb , a pleasure to follow their on film experiences . Original music the sweetest ..It was not just a musical...It was Music ! Of the heart ..So so Wonderful !!! I know I will want to come back to this amazing film again and again. It was somewhat a unique artistic experience . The kind of film that will live forever. Thank you so much Gary ! And I can't wait to see your new Creations !