Great World of Sound (2007)

Undescribable Perfection

Perfect cast and a good story

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Great World of Sound (2007)I've suddenly grown tired of Indie films like this. And there are a lot of them. So this is a bad vibes review. Sorry.Here's what I mean. There is a clever plot here, as usual, and some great low key acting, and the most drab and functional photography and editing. That's understandable (if not forgivable--good photography is free, but that's another story). But what's with the awkward nerdy reclusive oddball main characters. They're lovable, and I suppose they are meant to be a counterpart to the glitz of Hollywood's stars. But they are starting to imitate themselves. That is, I think Indie producers and directors and eventually actors are playing, on purpose, Indie parts, with an Indie style. It's lovable, but it's worn thin.So here we are, with a cute and slightly clever plot about the well known scam of small time record companies (quote unquote) who suck the millions of aspiring musicians into spending money on CDs that will never get airplay. I've seen it happen to a few people, over time, and there have even been dangles of fame, a has been musician wandering through the studio at the same time, that kind of thing. Who doesn't have a thousand dollars once in a lifetime for a dream that might not come true? Why not die knowing you wasted a little money for that good intention?And so these two very nice, somewhat naive men fall into the racket. They are victims themselves, and they create a trail of victims behind them. It's really charming and warm and maddening in all the right proportions. It's a pretty good story.But it's very mediocre, too, on purpose. It doesn't strive for greatness in the old sense of the "art of the cinema," as Hitchcock would say. This is about modest means, but also modest goals. And so the goals get met, and we have a modest movie. Enjoyable, yes. Amazing, no. Not even a little.And for me, I'd rather have a failed attempt at amazing than a successful stab at pretty darned good. Go ahead, have some fun watching it, and forgive me.

The film with its excellent leads puts its finger on the pulse of the American dream. The subject is the selling of success to would be musicians, but it reflects all aspects of the truly American confidence game. Pat Healy as Martin and Kene Holliday as Clarence are hired as a team to scout for undiscovered talent for an independent recording label, which is interested in the next big thing. Since "skin in the game" is a mark of seriousness, then the aspiring musicians should be willing to put up some cash to hedge the risks of the recording company: a perfectly reasonable request. The two leads play off each other to create a metaphor of the American dichotomy: liberal secular humanism vs. conservative unbridled capitalism. Certainly a film worth seeing.

One good thing about this movie is that the cheap indie feel for once works in a flick's favor. The record-company executives are seen to be scam artists (by us) from the very beginning. We see gold records being spray-painted as the opening credits roll. But the men sucked into the scheme only gradually become aware that they're conning people. You have to suspend some disbelief to accept that it takes them so long to figure it out.The plot focuses on two of the "record producers," played by Pat Healy and Kene Holliday, who go on the road to audition local talent and persuade the bands to make a contribution to the production of their records. One of them gets really good at it, and is more reluctant than the other one to get out of the game.The movie has a lot of rough spots and a few bright spots. Kene Holliday's performance is quite good.The brightest spots were the auditions of all the local acts. I loved every one of them. It seems clear that they really were amateur performers -- bands, singers, songwriters, some good, most not so good -- and I could not imagine how they were lured into making a movie about exploitation of bad local bands, and having their performances immortalized on celluloid. The editing of the auditions was perfect, so we never get bored with them. The dialog between Healy's and Holliday's characters as they sell their operation to the suckers seems improvised, and skillfully improvised.The movie as a whole just sags too often, and when it does Pat Healy is always the main character on screen. He goes through the entire movie as if drugged, and at the end his character loses all credibility. Well, that's not his fault, I guess, since the script was the script; too bad he didn't get to improvise more.I predict most people will not be able to sit through the whole movie, but don't give up before the auditions start.

This flick was an all around great film. It was a moving story that definitely gets you thinking and implants morals. The actors in this film really make you feel along with them. I watched this movie 3 days ago and I am still thinking about it. That's the test of a great movie, it gets you thinking and keeps you thinking.I plan to recommend this to my family and friends, as well as obviously anyone looking to rent it. I was very impressed with everything about this film, I would love to see more like it!! The thirst for a dream comes at a price, but where do you draw the line? Do you fulfill you dream while crushing others?