Review of Jack Goes Boating (2010) by Ryan H — 17 Feb 2011

Pretty much exactly what I expected from a film directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, and this is definitely a good thing. He has so much concentration on his characters, but at the same time plays around with what he can tell through simple images.

When Jack takes a breath and closes his eyes he visions what he is doing to get better. On stage I'm sure this is just a guy standing with his eyes closed, but magic is shown on the screen. Everything transforms.

It's not done without a purpose either. Hoffman decides to slam us in the middle of the lives of these four people, so he tells us who they are and their story as the movie goes on. Films that follow two people in love usually don't have them come together until the end of the first act, but they meet each other and start something solid within the first five minutes.

That being said, it wasn't done to the point that I felt comfortable with the change, but I did like what he was trying to do. It worked, just not all the way. But the way he sets everything up makes the film go by much quicker.

He wants us to take in every single moment with each character. Jack is a character who wants positive vibes; Connie is a character who needs good vibes because she has never been treated the right way and we want her to be happy; Clyde wants to help Jack with this new relationship but thinks Jack doesn't know what he's getting in to with a long relationship; Lucy wants to see Connie happy and thinks Jack is the perfect man to do this.

Lucy and Clyde have been in a long term relationship (I believe marriage? Not important though). As the film goes on we learn about the secrets held between them. Jack doesn't know how to respond.

How can these two people who can no longer trust each other stay together? It doesn't stop him from wanting to be with Connie. Connie wants to go boating with Jack, but Jack doesn't know how to swim.

Jack learns from Clyde how to swim even though we know how difficult the task is for him. Connie says she never had someone cook for her before so Jack changes his original plans and decides to learn how to cook for her.

Everything comes crashing down within the third act, but Jack and Lucy stay strong through it all. Lucy tells Jack "I knew you would be perfect" and he says "I am for you." The film could easily fall into a depressing mood, but there is so much love shared within the film that it's hard not to catch Jack's positive vibes.