Geekscape Reviews Standing Ovation!
Something’s about to happen, folks. Something wonderful. For you see, in theaters around the country audiences are slowly beginning to discover Standing Ovation, one of the must-see movies of the year. Either you’ve seen it already and know this to be true, or you’ve heard someone else rave about the experience, or you have no idea what I’m talking about. This review is for all of you. Standing Ovation will slap you in the face with its awesomeness, and you will take it like a bitch because it hurts so very, very good.
What is Standing Ovation, you ask? Standing Ovation is film that received a small theatrical run in the middle of the summer. You were probably too busy watching Inception to notice. The film was written and directed by Stewart Rafill, who also helmed the wonderful 1980’s sci-fi action romp Ice Pirates, and features a cast of dozens of youngsters competing in a music video contest. The good guys, or should I say good gals, are “The Five Ovations,” a group of adorable ragamuffin preteens who must overcome poverty, diversity and of course their competition “The Wiggies” over the course of the film. The Wiggies are a large group of adopted sisters whose father owns the largest wig factory in the America, or possibly the world. They are well-funded, very talented, and always clad in perfectly coordinated – though rarely understated – wigs. It’s an intriguing visual flourish for the movie. Whenever The Wiggies are on-screen it feels like Standing Ovation is fighting a hostile takeover from a Baz Luhrmann joint.
But so far, so standard. Standing Ovation also boasts a young manager Joei Batalucci (Joei DeCarlo), a 12 year old Italian stereotype – by way of Edna Ferber – who assists The Five Ovations on their route to stardom in a complex scheme to avenge the presumably violent death of her Mafioso father. She spends much of her screen time threatening the supporting cast of “Sopranos” rejects with cobras, scorpions and electric eels that she keeps in her purse at all times. (Her role might make a little more sense after you learn that the character was originally written to be an old man. And a ghost.) The film also finds room for Alana Palombo’s performance as Alanna Wannabe, who is particularly fond of introducing herself and pointedly adding “and I’m gonna be.” Alanna spends the bulk of the film trying to Kanye both The Five Ovations’ and The Wiggies’ performances in a bid to become one of the group. With her excitable confidence and overy theatrical demeanor she reminded me of a pre-teen Lady Gaga.
But the star of the film is obviously young Kayla Jackson, whose appearance and occasionally glam fashion sense caused me to remember her more fondly as “Twiggy Stardust” than as her character’s real name, which is Brittany. One of the more overtly talented and charismatic members of the cast – whose hairdresser deserves an honorary Oscar – she carries the bulk of the film with such melodramatic subplots as a dead mother, an absentee father, a gambling-addicted Irish grandfather and an apparently famous songwriter brother who has betrayed the family to write for The Wiggies. Like many of the better young actors in the world Kayla Jackson gives the impression of being an old soul stuck in a frustratingly young body. She’s ready to break out, but Standing Ovation’s reputation as being just god awful might get in her way. That’s an unfair assessment of the film, however, and indicates a rather narrow view of what defines quality filmmaking.
Standing Ovation is pure cinema, worthy of comparison to Breathless, Eraserhead and City of God. No, seriously. That it isn’t as good as any of those other movies is beside the point. Standing Ovation represents an uncompromised artistic vision that commands a visceral reaction from every audience member. Some will merely sit slack jawed in overpowering disbelief (that would be me), while others will repeatedly voice their concerns that the filmmakers, and by extension the audience, are going to go to jail for this one (that guy sat next to me).
Regardless of your response there’s no denying that the film has a hypnotic effect that results from a profound connection to the filmmaker. Stewart Rafill made this film, and although his work on Mac & Me or Mannequin 2: On The Move never earned him the title of “cinematic genius” it becomes very clear very early into Standing Ovation that nobody else could have made this movie. There isn’t a single aspect of this movie that implies that somebody told him “no,” or even once politely asked him to stop. Distinctive details abound that would never have found a home in a film made by committee: The world’s shrillest ringtone, a recording maestro who appears to all the world like a prepubescent and blind Jesse Eisenberg, and big climactic dance number in which everyone claims to be robots from the future. And yet none of these things feels out of place in Standing Ovation. The film is the exclusive home to the bizarre and delightful subconscious of its auteur, something perhaps only Inception can also rightfully claim this year (especially that “subconscious” bit).
Standing Ovation met with copious amounts of critical bile upon its release last July, but is rapidly finding an audience thanks to such glowing reviews as Marc Heuck’s ebullient adulation at The Projector Has Been Drinking and Geekscape columnist Witney Seibold’s more measured appreciation at Three Cheers for Darkened Years. (I myself only sought out the experience at Mr. Seibold’s behest.) Last night it enjoyed a very well-attended midnight screening at the New Beverly Theater in Los Angeles, complete with appearances by the film’s crew and free sing-along booklets for each and every audience member. This is the start of something great and powerful, I think. This is the birth of a new filmgoing experience. Standing Ovation is the cult sensation that’s sweeping the nation, and it’s only a matter of time before everyone (of consequence) adds their own fully upright and speedy hand-clapping to the applause for Stewart Rafill’s highly, highly, highly eccentric but highly entertaining film.
To put it another way: Standing Ovation is quite possibly an example of sheer, unbridled insanity… but it is very aptly titled.
