Bigger Than the Sky (2005)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

this movie was delightful, insightful, and touched my heart in special places. the quirkiness of the film was funny...like when peter's sister is seen with take out Chinese food at peter's house eating a whole pickle in between bites of the Chinese food, when peter walk's out the door and crosses himself upside-down, the theater being the exterior of a church, and many more little sightings of the sublime. one of the messages in this film was a yearning for the honesty of spirit, to be able to reveal your true self without pretensions as portrayed by marcus thomas' character peter and amy smarts character grace and really all the character's except for j.w. crawford's character as kirk...there has to be at least one protagonist. it was so cool to see patty duke play as twins again and she is such a great actress and person. whoever did the casting for this movie did a superb job...really. all the actors genuinely gave earnest and heartwarming performances. it is just amazing to me that such an all star cast such as this one would do a movie they most likely felt was not going to reach a large audience. the final scene was touching and quirky at the same time. there were many subliminal references to Christ and getting up to speed for our parts in a evolution of consciousness on this planet. i will probably have to come back and add more as i wish the people who produce, direct, crew, act on such good films to get the recognition they deserve and promote this movie so that it could somehow reach a greater audience.

BIGGER THAN THE SKY has the feel of an Indie that was made out of a lot of love and commitment from all concerned. That's a good thing, but at the beginning of this little film the viewer questions whether or not the actors can make the story fly - and if you actually want to take the trip with them. But stick it out because a sound film well made rewards the hesitation. It is a 'little man finds his way' tale that makes good sense and provides good entertainment.Peter Rooker (Marcus Thomas) is in a depressed slump after his girlfriend has dumped him. He is a 'cellophane man' computer artist, living the solitary life, noticed by no one, longing for a feeling of belonging. The place is Portland, Oregon. Peter notes the posting of auditions for a Portland Community Theater production of 'Cyrano de Bergerac' and slowly decides to attempt a moment of belonging by auditioning for the play: if he could just land a small part at least he'd belong.At the auditions he meets the warmly friendly theatrical group: Michael (John Corbett) who is a fine actor with no sense of future, Grace (Amy Smart) a pretty young sprite and competent trouper, director Edwina (Clare Higgins) who is a true theater person preferring to unmask the real Cyrano rather than hide him behind the infamous nose, sassy costumer Mrs. Keene (Patty Duke), and theater founder and adviser Kippy (Alan Corduner) who has retired from the theater due to his progressive cancer.To everyone's surprise, especially Peter's, Peter lands the title role of Cyrano while Michael becomes Christian and Grace becomes Roxanne. Edwina's faith in the audition honesty of Peter has bolstered her own commitment to her dreams and she works with the cast to mold this very inexperienced (read lousy) actor into the tough role of Cyrano. Peter finds joy in the camaraderie of the actors, and for the first time in his life he becomes a social person. As the play is rehearsed Peter and Michael and Grace become a misguided trio - Peter does not understand the promiscuous life of the actors - and when Peter loses his job because of his increased involvement in the theater, he is informed that Edwina is forced to replace him with a seasoned actor Ken Zorbell (Sean Astin) at the 13th hour.As good comedies go there are unexpected turns of events at every level of the remaining time until the opening night and the ending results in the personal growth of each of the actors and company. There are some well-drawn performances from John Corbett, Amy Smart, Clare Higgins, Patty Duke (in two roles), Alan Corduner, and ultimately Marcus Taylor (he is so convincingly an untrained actor at the beginning of the film that the audience will think he is wholly without talent!). Director Al Corley keeps the community theater magic alive and Rodney Patrick Vaccaro's script is sparkled by incidental quotes from Rostand's play. And to sum up the final product of the film in Cyrano's word, it has 'panache'. Not a great film, but a warm little story that examines the lonely lives of people who need the stage of a community theater to find themselves. Grady Harp

A film worthy of your time and patience if for no other reason than the understated, almost sleepy performance of Marcus Thomas who seems perfectly lost amid a band of eccentrics from a community theater troupe, which may be a borderline oxymoron.Thomas, a Belgium-born actor, brings a different presence to the screen. He doesn't try to keep up with John Corbett (who is still quite tall) or Amy Smart (who is still incredibly cute).Patty Duke was a pleasant surprise in a dual role-something she did many years ago on the Patty Duke Show.Duke's real life son, Sean Astin, turns in a very credible performance though he's not playing a very likable character.These types of films are rare gems that deserve support whether you really like them or just find them okay. They need support because they very original in scope-a breath of fresh air from the dearth of packaged mainstream muck.Did I really like this film? Not really though it wasn't bad. As for films set against the backdrop of community theater, Waiting For Guffman remains the best with State and Main (which was also set against the backdrop of a film crew on location.) a distant second-because of David Mamet's great talent.Bigger Than The Sky is sort of out on it's own. There is far worse fare out there to get stuck in.

Release Date Announced: FEBRUARY 18thI received this message from Rodney Vaccaro:"Brandon, I enjoyed reading your account of working on the movie in Portland. I'm Rodney Vaccaro and I wrote it. I just wanted to drop you a line to tell you the release date is February 18th. It'll be released in six cities initially and one of them is Portland. I saw the movie finished about two months ago and it looked great. Thanks for working on it. Best, Rodney."I would suggest checking your local listings, also keep an eye on Regal Cinemas for show times. If I hear of any special screening events I will definitely make a post here. For the time being I am planning on buying tickets for any showings on the 18th, I have already taken the day off work. :) Looking forward to it!Thanks, Brandon Carmody - Actor