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Movies Forum Index » Movie Reviews Forum » Review: Wait Up Harriet (2006)
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| Mark R. Leeper |
 Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 4:54 pm |
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WAIT UP HARRIET
(a film review by Mark R. Leeper)
CAPSULE: A religious message in the form of a little
story of how one man solves his personal problems by
turning to God and returning to living his life.
This is a film for a select audience, probably
including church groups who will respond to its
message. This is a simple religious film shot with
simple production values. Australian Angus Benfield
both stars and directs based on a script by Hanna
Eichler who also directs. The film is a United
States/New Zealand co-production. Rating: low +1
(-4 to +4) or 5/10
These days Sunday morning religious programs are mostly of the
format of some televangelist giving a sermon. Back in the 1960s
Sunday morning would bring short religious dramas. Generally,
they were about an hour long and they all built to some religious
lesson. You always knew where they were going. Somebody has
deep personal problems and the answer is accepting God and
religion. They were a little pat, but they were entertaining in
a timeslot when they did not have a whole lot of competition for
video attention. I have not seen one of little dramas in years,
but WAIT UP HARRIET brings them all back and is a return to that
tradition. It is a parable in the form of a little drama. The
narrative style is a little more complex with an 86-minute
runtime, but the production values may even be a little more
simple.
Jack (Angus Benfield) is a man who lives in the past. He had a
beautiful, loving, attentive wife Harriet (Melanie Cannan). When
Harriet died young, Jack all but died also. He had been an
enthusiastic firefighter who enjoyed getting together with others
in his fire company, and they all accepted Harriet as one of the
guys. When Jack lost Harriet he became nearly a recluse. As we
see him he rarely leaves leave his house and more rarely sees his
old friends. Instead he eats out of cans and lives in memories
of how he met Harriet and how he married her. Jack ignores his
son Todd by a previous marriage (Mitch Potts) and bickers with
his first wife.
Then all of a sudden there is a new woman who blows into Jack's
life and not entirely a welcome one. Marty is not a romantic
interest. She is just a friend, but she wants to be just what
Jack needs. Her bright red wardrobe and slightly gaudy jewelry
attest to her attitude accepting herself and of living life.
Marty went to the same church with Harriet and they were good
friends. Marty knows what has happened to Jack and now wants to
lead Jack out into the living world again as part of her life-
affirming Christian philosophy.
The story is simple and the production values are equally simple,
appearing to be as effective as a small budget could allow. They
get the job done, but show minimal style. The film looks shot on
digitally with straightforward lighting and camera work.
Reportedly it was shot in ten days for about $20,000. The score
by Rob Gilmour seems done on a single guitar, occasionally
accompanied by singing. The storytelling is a little slow and
introspective.
WAIT UP HARRIET will be released to DVD on April 28, 2008. I am
not the target audience and not the sort of viewer who would get
full value from a film of this sort. For my tastes I would rate
WAIT UP HARRIET a low +1 on the -4 to +4 scale or 5/10.
Film Credits: <http://us.imdb.com/title/tt1151002/>
Mark R. Leeper
mleeper@optonline.net
Copyright 2008 Mark R. Leeper |
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