The Importance of Being Russell
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OVERVIEW
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The Importance of Being Russell is...."The Outer Limits meets Cletus the Slack Jawed Yokel."[1] It is also a multiple award-winning micro-budget feature film shot in and around Memphis, TN. Although primarily a wacky comedy in the spirit of Airplane and Blazing Saddles, it also includes elements of science-fiction and adventure. The film stars John Pickle, Wade Long, Jenny Lynn, Justin Birman, Gina Fortner, and Georgiana Sheats, was directed by Sean Plemmons, and produced by Jeff Bryant, Sean Plemmons, and Graham Smith.
PLOT SUMMARY
On July 4th 1975, Russell Jr. was abandoned by his father. The old man decides his importance is in Big City somewhere helping his own kind, Rednecks. Flash forward to present day Big City where the hunt for rednecks is still on. In the meantime, Russell Hawker Jr. has grown into a buck-toothed, backwoods inventor.
When not inventing things Russell's fixing things, or shooting things like packages ordered by his wife, Sissy. It seems his inventions aren't good enough. Even though he has shed full of them, she buys her new gadgets off TV. Undaunted Russell continues on in secret on a new invention.
At first he doesn't know what it does. The cryptic voice emanating from the TV gives him the instructions to build it in his sleep. It also tells him he must go to Big City to find the missing part.
But first he has to make a present for his tenth wedding anniversary. When Sissy sees his present, a thoughtless piece of junk made with a shotgun, she hits the roof and storms out. At her friend Gigi's her anger is tempered by the shocking news that her marriage is no longer legal.
Russell anxiously waits for Sissy to return so he can apologize. But when she returns she asks for them to get married again to make up for it. He reluctantly agrees. Gigi instructs Harlan, her boyfriend, that he has to keep the secret for two weeks, even though he is incapable of doing so. Sissy treats Russell nicer than usual as well. All this has made Russell suspicious. When Russell notices Harlan's obvious tick, he knows he's hiding something. Harlan diverts his attention by asking about his new invention.
Inside the shed Russell reveals the Time-Machine-Telephone, a device to call into the future to steal the next great invention. When Russell says he must go to Big City for the last part, Harlan panics spilling the beans about his sham marriage. Russell storms into the trailer, gives a speech about finding his importance in Big City, and storms out. The girls force Harlan to go with him. Sissy returns to the trailer and rips up her wedding picture.
The boys pick up an old friend named Jamon Dunbar. He's supposed to know how to get to Big City. After quitting his job and then stealing a toothbrush, the trio squeal off into the night in Jamon's replica of the car in The Blues Brothers. Meanwhile Sissy has decided to go and find Russell with Gigi's help.
The boys are lost and having car trouble when they pull in to Pashby's garage. It looks abandoned but the owner fixes their car and gets them high on car exhaust. This "Bump it" induces a flashback to 'the war'. This is where Russell first meets Harlan and reveals his love for Sissy. An alarm goes off in the garage. It rouses the boys. They peel out and continue on to Big City.
They run across Connie, a citified minion who has been watching Russell, and she persuades them to join her at the Vandemeer Estate. They meet strange yet familiar people at the mansion. They are introduced to Patricia Vandemeer who offers them bar-b-cue. After gorging himself Russell discovers that these people want to citify him and his friends. They escape with the help of Stuhl Beer.
Sissy and Gigi have searched all over Big City to find the boys. They are ready to give up. Russell and the boys are holed up in a seedy motel on the outskirts of town. While Russell and Gigi fret about missing each other, Harlan and Jamon entertain some bimbos. Russell accidentally becomes citified then is saved by his estranged Daddy.
Back home the boys find that Sissy and Gigi are prisoners of Patricia Vandemeer. They return to Big City to rescue the girls. Russell encounters "The Head" a being from the future with plans to 'citify' the world. He forces Russell to call into the future and begin the process. Russell tricks "The Head" by calling himself, a paradox that ultimately destroys "The Head". Russell and Sissy reconcile.
Russell returns home to find that he has won an inventor's contest on TV. Sissy sent his 'tool', which had been missing, in secret for their anniversary. Now that everything is good, Russell reverts to his old inventing ways.
CAST & CREW
John Pickle.....Russell Hawker
Wade Long.....Harlan Pinkerton
Jenny Lynn.....Sissy Hawker
Justin Birman.....Jamon Dunbar
Gina Fortner.....Gigi
Georgiana Sheats.....Patricia Vandemeer
William Kane.....TV's Bill Gray
Nick Cantarucci.....Pashby Crisp
J. Michael McCarthy.....Rev. Tee Bob Smiley
Directed by.....Sean Plemmons
Produced by.....Jeff Bryant, Sean Plemmons & Graham Smith
Written by.....Jeff Hassen, Sean Plemmons,John Pickle, & James Ross
Edited by.....Jeff Hassen, Sean Plemmons
Director of Photography.....Jeff Hassen
Music by.....Roy Howell
Visual Effects by.....Greg Stanford
Make-up Effects by.....Matt Singer
Make-up by.....Elizabeth Harris
FESTIVALS & AWARDS
As of February 2008 The Importance of Being Russell has screened at the following festivals:
Indie Memphis Film Festival (2006) Winner "Ron Tibbett Excellence in Filmmaking Award"
Eureka Springs Digital Film Festival (2006) Honorable Mention
Southern Fried Flicks Film Festival (2007) 2nd Place Best in Fest
Magnolia Film Festival (2007)
Mid South Con 25 (2007) Winner "Darrell Award for Best Mid-South Film"
Da Vinci Film Festival (2007)
Secret City Film Festival (2007) Winner "Audience Award"
Southern Appalachian International Film Festival (2007) Winner "Best Comedy", "Best Actor" (John Pickle)
Myrtle Beach International Film Festival (2007)
Oxford Film Festival (2008)
REVIEWS & PRESS
John Beifuss of the Commercial Appeal describes The Importance of Being Russell as, "a shotgun ménage à trois of bucktoothed backwoods humor, "citified" zombies and brain-molesting science fiction."[2] And Jesse Morrison writes on Ain't it Cool Newsand in his Memflix zine that the film, "...is a science fiction comedy laden with amazing special effects that take the viewer back to the heyday of groundbreaking comedies of the eighties as well as paying visual homage to the sci-fi flicks of old."[3] The film has received criticism for it's plotting, "...the character-based sketch comedy of the first half of the film morphs into something weirder, bolder and less coherent."[4] Ulises Silva on Quiet Earth also writes, "The movie, while consistent and effective in its light-hearted, whimsical tone, nonetheless suffers from an overly drawn out and loose storyline."[5] However, Jesse Morrison counters, " [b]ecause it is a twisted, hilarious science fiction film made on a small budget, it seem[s] right up the alley of cineastes all over the globe." Despite some debate on story structure, there seems to be a consensus on the acting. "[T]he acting is superb across the board, with the actors pulling off their redneck caricatures with seamlessly absurd grace."[6] With John Pickle particularly singled out, "John Pickle’s ability to completely absorb himself into a character makes him the most entertaining performer to come out of this town in quite awhile."[7] Mr. Silva continues the praise, "John Pickle does an especially good job as the title character, making Russell a totally believable...industrious, good-hearted, earnest doofus whose idea of romance, like his inventiveness, is crude but functional."[8] The reviews generally are positive regarding the special effects, "[Matt] Singer's "The Head" is as impressive as an alien from a vintage episode of "The Outer Limits," and Stanford's digitally created cityscapes and giant super-computers wouldn't discredit a much more expensive movie."[9] Jesse Morrison sums it up in the Daily Helmsman, "Russell blends two genres into one. One minute you are watching an over-the-top comedy, and the next you are in the middle of a special effects laden sci-fi movie.[10]
In addition to festival screenings The Importance of Being Russell has also had a week long run 09/07/2007 through 09/14/2007 at Malco Theatre'sStudio on the Square. The film is currently participating in The Independent Features Film Festival which runs from 05/05/2008 through 06/30/2008.
ADDITIONAL PRESS
Duane L. Martin's review from Rogue Cinema
Linn Sittler's video review on WHBQ-Fox 13 Memphis
EXTERNAL LINKS
The Important of Being Russell Official Website
The Importance of Being Russell Myspace Page
REFERENCES
1. Ulises Silva review on Quiet Earth from 2/20/2008[1] pulled 03/02/2008
2. John Beifuss review in the Commercial Appeal from 9/07/2007[2] pulled 03/02/2008
3. Jesse Morrison review on Ain't it Cool News from 4/25/2007[3] pulled 03/02/2008
4. John Beifuss review in the Commercial Appeal from 9/07/2007[4] pulled 03/02/2008
5. Ulises Silva review on Quiet Earth from 2/20/2008[5] pulled 03/02/2008
6. Ulises Silva review on Quiet Earth from 2/20/2008[6] pulled 03/02/2008
7. Jesse Morrison review on Ain't it Cool News from 4/25/2007[7] pulled 03/02/2008
8. Ulises Silva review on Quiet Earth from 2/20/2008[8] pulled 03/02/2008
9. John Beifuss review in the Commercial Appeal from 9/07/2007[9] pulled 03/02/2008
10. Jesse Morrison article in Daily Helmsman from 09/06/2007[10] pulled 03/02/2008
