Johnny has the black-and-blue-collar blues in "2 by 4", a gritty glimpse into the world of Irish-American construction workers in New York. Not your typical filmic depiction of the Irish as a fun-loving, hard-drinking and happy lot, "2 by 4" hammers home the dark underside to insular communities.
Though powerful, this independent feature that played recently at the Sundance Film Festival is decidedly undercut by its murky plottings and, not incidentally, by the sometimes indiscernible Irish brogues of the players.
Still, it's a clear, keen-eyed depiction of everyday people -- Hollywood certainly doesn't go out of its way to tell blue-collar stories, unless they're cops or in "sexy" crafts -- and an independent cable channel would find this sharply forged film a welcome addition to its lineup of offerings. (Of course, a Marxist academic would have trouble glorifying these "workers," who are bereft of energy and dignity.)
Often the Irish are prismed through their shot glasses and "2 by 4" is no exception as co-director and co-screenwriter Jimmy Smallhorne lays down the blueprint for the lives and world of a crew of sheet-rock layers in New York City. This is no glossy glamorization of working-class life -- we see the men are often loutish, small-minded and quick to judge.
They're also loyal (to a fault) and, for better and worse, clannish. And, they're not exactly the most enlightened of chaps in the personal feelings area. It's this area that co-screenwriter/director Jimmy Smallhorne nails his story frame, mainly on the troubled sexually abusive past of construction worker Johnny (Smallhorne), whose sinewy energy and gung-ho ways make him a favorite of his cronies. Overall, Johnny is a bit smarter and certainly more perceptive than his peers, although his somewhat slaggy lifestyle -- he has a perfunctory girlfriend -- and listless ways are in sync with his buddies' work-and-drink world.
At its best, Smallhorne shows the tight framings of this macho world as the men slug through their days, going through the motions for a little card-playing and boozing at whistle time. The hard, defined "rules" of this world, of course, make it extremely difficult for anyone who has a problem or an inclination that is not completely in sync with the herd mentality to function: In this stirring, dramatic case the forbidden zone is sexuality, namely homosexuality.
While filmmaker Smallhorne's evocation of the constrictive nature of this culture is solidly forged, the film wavers dramatically, wobbling between half-remembered occurrences and repetitive confrontations. Admittedly, the central story defies a certain linearity, but Smallhorne's lax structurings lessen its emotional impact.
Overall, the performances are strong, particularly Smallhorne as the conflicted construction worker and Chris O'Neill as the down-sliding foreman of the crew. Technically, "2 by 4" is well-served by cinematographer Declan Quinn's dark-lensed compositions.
Header: Thu, Feb 5, 1998, End of Header.
2 by 4
Electric Head Prods.
Producers: John Hall, Virginia Biddle
Director: Jimmy Smallhorne,
Terrence McGoff, Fergus Tighe
Screenwriters: Jimmy Smallhorne,
Terrence McGoff, Fergus Tighe
Executive producer: Darren Davy
Director of photography: Declan Quinn
Editors: Laure Sullivan, Scott Balcerek
Production designer: Hazel Mailloux
Costume designer: Ivan Ingermann
Music: HuncaMunca Music Prods.
Color/stereo
Cast:
Johnny: Jimmy Smallhorne
Trump: Chris O'Neill
Christian: Bradley Fitts
Joe: Joe Holyoake
Billy: Terrence McGoff
Eddie: Michael Liebmann
Brains: Ronan Carr
Paddy: Leo Hamill
Running time -- 101 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Though powerful, this independent feature that played recently at the Sundance Film Festival is decidedly undercut by its murky plottings and, not incidentally, by the sometimes indiscernible Irish brogues of the players.
Still, it's a clear, keen-eyed depiction of everyday people -- Hollywood certainly doesn't go out of its way to tell blue-collar stories, unless they're cops or in "sexy" crafts -- and an independent cable channel would find this sharply forged film a welcome addition to its lineup of offerings. (Of course, a Marxist academic would have trouble glorifying these "workers," who are bereft of energy and dignity.)
Often the Irish are prismed through their shot glasses and "2 by 4" is no exception as co-director and co-screenwriter Jimmy Smallhorne lays down the blueprint for the lives and world of a crew of sheet-rock layers in New York City. This is no glossy glamorization of working-class life -- we see the men are often loutish, small-minded and quick to judge.
They're also loyal (to a fault) and, for better and worse, clannish. And, they're not exactly the most enlightened of chaps in the personal feelings area. It's this area that co-screenwriter/director Jimmy Smallhorne nails his story frame, mainly on the troubled sexually abusive past of construction worker Johnny (Smallhorne), whose sinewy energy and gung-ho ways make him a favorite of his cronies. Overall, Johnny is a bit smarter and certainly more perceptive than his peers, although his somewhat slaggy lifestyle -- he has a perfunctory girlfriend -- and listless ways are in sync with his buddies' work-and-drink world.
At its best, Smallhorne shows the tight framings of this macho world as the men slug through their days, going through the motions for a little card-playing and boozing at whistle time. The hard, defined "rules" of this world, of course, make it extremely difficult for anyone who has a problem or an inclination that is not completely in sync with the herd mentality to function: In this stirring, dramatic case the forbidden zone is sexuality, namely homosexuality.
While filmmaker Smallhorne's evocation of the constrictive nature of this culture is solidly forged, the film wavers dramatically, wobbling between half-remembered occurrences and repetitive confrontations. Admittedly, the central story defies a certain linearity, but Smallhorne's lax structurings lessen its emotional impact.
Overall, the performances are strong, particularly Smallhorne as the conflicted construction worker and Chris O'Neill as the down-sliding foreman of the crew. Technically, "2 by 4" is well-served by cinematographer Declan Quinn's dark-lensed compositions.
Header: Thu, Feb 5, 1998, End of Header.
2 by 4
Electric Head Prods.
Producers: John Hall, Virginia Biddle
Director: Jimmy Smallhorne,
Terrence McGoff, Fergus Tighe
Screenwriters: Jimmy Smallhorne,
Terrence McGoff, Fergus Tighe
Executive producer: Darren Davy
Director of photography: Declan Quinn
Editors: Laure Sullivan, Scott Balcerek
Production designer: Hazel Mailloux
Costume designer: Ivan Ingermann
Music: HuncaMunca Music Prods.
Color/stereo
Cast:
Johnny: Jimmy Smallhorne
Trump: Chris O'Neill
Christian: Bradley Fitts
Joe: Joe Holyoake
Billy: Terrence McGoff
Eddie: Michael Liebmann
Brains: Ronan Carr
Paddy: Leo Hamill
Running time -- 101 minutes
No MPAA rating...
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