Purely Joyful Movie!

Just perfect...

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Saw this as a coincidence, without any expectations and without knowing anything about this little indie flick in beforehand. I was drawn to it due to the radio-connection. When I saw the lead was Jay Baruchel, it thought this was another stupid comedy like he have been playing in earlier on, but I was immediately charmed by the setting, and soon also by Baruchel.It's not very comical, but more a true glimpse of a small town where everybody knows each other, as for the local radio stuff, this is also very close to believable real life, as I've been working on a small local radio like this for a couple of decades. It's a comedy, yes, but more of a romantic charming one than really funny. but I goes a long way with the simplicity and the charm.Young reed has lost his parents in an accident, and is a local radio presenter and star in his little town where he grew up. He's, about to get married to a girl in his small town, when Jill shows up, after studying elsewhere. He falls in love, without wanting to do do, but being honest about it doesn't solve his problem...It deals with the always difficult problem of finding the agreement of love. Falling in love is not something you decide or that you can tell someone els to do. It has to be mutual, and sometimes you're ending up with someone you think you love, and get to understand it's not the way it's supposed to be. What I really like about it, is the honesty we're shown here. It basically tells you not to rush into something which is really heartfelt.This film is a good charming watch, without the stupidities we're used to see in American comedy about youngsters. The is a fresh breath, and well played and instructed by Zachary Adler.

This film is the indy cinema version of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. It manages to hit that sweet spot between charm and quirk, drawing you in and making you feel something for these characters, only to throw it all away with a startlingly wrong and unnecessary bit of too clever by 3/4ths fatuousness. I don't know if these filmmakers fell in love with their self-perceived brilliance of it they realized they didn't have an ending and tried to substitute some narrative prestidigitation. I'm Reed Fish is like someone who's about to win a marathon but stops 200 yards from the finish line and shoots himself in both feet. You're cheering him on and then all of a sudden…what the f**k?!?Reed Fish (Jay Baruchel) is a young man who finds himself the heart and soul of the indefinable community of Mud Meadows after his father dies. He's taken over his dad's job as the main attraction of the local radio and TV stations and serves as sort of a town ombudsmen and conscience, though it's clear early on that he feels more than a little trapped by his supposedly idyllic existence. Reed is engaged to Kate (Alexis Bledel), a girl he grew up with, only to have everything turn upside down when Jill (Schuyler Fisk), another girl her grew up with, blows back town for the summer. There's a lot of local color from Mud Meadow's adorable oddballs, but this is really the story of how Reed is caught between two women and two versions of his life and handles it in the most ass way possible.All that stuff I just described is pretty fun and enjoyable. I found myself smiling along with most of what happened. The following was neither fun nor enjoyable and I found myself staring at it in increasing aggravation and abhorrence. About 15 to 20 minutes into the film, the camera pulls back and we see that what we've been watching is an autobiographical movie made by Reed Fish and starring all the people of Mud Meadows. Then we go back into the movie-within-the-movie and when that ends, we return to the "real" world to one of the most undeserved and inexplicable standing ovations in cinema history and see the fallout to Reed Fish of the events portrayed in his film, which he starred in as himself.Firstly, the initial step back to reveal the movie-within-the-movie business is an atrocious misstep that takes a jackhammer and pounds into your brain how contrived everything is that your watching. It makes you question what the hell I'm Reed Fish is and where it's going, which could have served as a jumping off point to something more challenging, but then in plunges right back into the movie-within-the-movie for another 50 minutes or so. It wasn't until the end, when they stepped back out into the "real" world of Reed Fish and Mud Meadows, that I realized that first digression was only there because these filmmakers were worried the audience isn't as smart as they are. They thought if they waited until the very end to pull back and show these people watching the film of themselves, people wouldn't get it and they'd have to work to hard at explaining and justifying it. Or maybe they thought viewers just wouldn't like that kind of a switcheroo being pulled on them. Whatever the reason, the first time someone suggested breaking in early with the movie-within-a-movie concept to prepare the audience for what happens at the end, it should have been a big warning signal that there was a basic flaw in their approach.That flaw is this tale is about how Reed Fish finally grows up and takes control of his life instead of just coasting along, doing what he assumes other people want. Except, that transformation never truly occurs. The movie-within-a-movie gets up to that point and then it ends. We then pull back to "reality" where it's a year later or so and Reed has basically completed his transformation, the audience just never gets to see any of it. If you somehow manage to maintain a connection to this film after it metaphorically slaps you in the face, you'll feel like a frustrated sucker when there's no payoff to all of the build up you've sat through.It also doesn't help that these filmmakers screw with you by having Reed Fish cast a woman who looks like the "real" Jill to play the "movie" Kate and vice versa. There's no point to it at all except to smack the viewer one more time with the movie-within-a-movie crap.Alexis Bledel is nice in anything and there are some honestly affecting moments in I'm Reed Fish. This might have been a great film if these filmmakers hadn't thought they were too smart and talented to make it. By genuflecting before their own supposed genius, they've made a movie where the more you like it, the more you'll be frustrated by it. Watch this at your own risk.

This movie is one of the worst movies I have EVER seen.SPOILERS:About 30min. in we discover that we have been watching a movie within a movie. WTF!?This brings up A BUNCH of questions that are NEVER answered: Why do this? Why confuse the audience? Why did this guy do this? Why is he not being treated for mental problems? So all the towns people are professional actors?Also why is "a kiss" seen as cheating? (people in other countries kiss on the mouth to say hi!) Also he was really drunk! And if that girl REALLY loved him and she really wanted to get married she would have forgiven him! HE WAS HONEST FOR GOODNESS SAKE! HE DID NOT EVEN SLEEP WITH HER! Really girl!? You dump him for TELLING YOU THE TRUTH? The real explanation was that he saw this girl and looked at his own life and got shook up. He wanted to leave the town but felt like he HAD to stay. Um, you have a stable life and a loving fiancé? What do you have to be sad about j@(&@$$? He could have not told her, have had an affair with the other girl and no one would have found out!I was checking to see when the movie was going to end constantly! Don't bother watching this movie. On IMDb it's listed as comedy, romance, drama, it contains NONE of these! Nothing funny about an ingrate! Nothing romantic about JUST KISSING some girl. No drama as he said he was not ready for marriage and she said: OK. WHERE IS THE DRAMA!? I'm sure there was more drama from all the hate and disgust people felt after watching this "movie." Not the people IN the movie. No, us. The actual viewers.Also I must say most of the reviews for this movie came from the people who made the movie! If you notice there are either totally praising the movie or honestly insulting it like me. This only happens on no name movies like this one. It's sad really, YOUR MOVIE IS A PIECE OF $#!T!!!!

i loved this movie. i thought it was charming and sweet. i just saw it yesterday. i was so upset that i had not heard of it before. my favorite quote was definitely from rex when he was apologizing for the way he acted when jill broke up with him.... "... or threw that hamburger at you." ha ha ha. i laughed so hard, it was grrreat.(i don't know if including a quote is considered a spoiler or not, i just didn't want my future comments discarded, how sad that would be!)by the way, does anyone know if schuyler fisk was actually singing?i fully intend to purchase the soundtrack as soon as i am able. it was one of the better ones i have heard. (juno being number one on my list of soundtrack fantastics) i loved this movie. i did not know anything about it going into the viewing process. therefore, i did not have any preconceived ideas as to what i thought would happen or what i hoped would happen. i didn't have any anticipation regarding the movie or any hype built up. to be honest, i really enjoyed viewing a movie this way. it helped me to form my own opinions about the plot and gave me the opportunity to experience it as one would if one would an actual character in the movie. i loved the twist in the middle. i was totally not expecting it. the movie was funny. the movie was off beat. the actors did a great job and were totally believable! a perfect ten.