Jack Goes Boating

Plot

Jack is a shy limousine driver who lives with and works for his uncle. His best friend and co-worker Clyde and Clyde's wife Lucy set up a dinner date at their house with Lucy's new co-worker, Connie, who has intimacy issues of her own.

As Jack and Connie get to know each other, he sets his sights on learning to swim so he can take her boating when summer comes; with Clyde eager to help him learn, they begin swimming lessons. Jack soon decides that summer is too far away to wait for a date with Connie, so he decides that a nice dinner would be a good place to start. When Connie says that no one has ever cooked a meal for her, Jack decides that he wants to be the chef and cook for her. This adds another set of lessons to be learned as Jack does not know how to cook, so Clyde sets Jack up with a chef friend of Lucy's to learn the culinary art form.

As Jack strives to perfect swimming and cooking, he begins to get a look behind the veil of the marriage of his friends, which is straining under the weight of mutual occasional infidelities. As the troubles of their marriage become increasingly apparent, Jack and Connie grow closer: Her general mistrust gradually erodes, and he gains confidence and skill in relating to her and in pursuing his dream job. The film's last scene has Jack and Connie walking off happily, as a newly single Clyde looks on ambivalently.

Cast

• Philip Seymour Hoffman as Jack
• Amy Ryan as Connie
• John Ortiz as Clyde
• Daphne Rubin-Vega as Lucy
• Thomas McCarthy as Dr. Bob
• Salvatore Inzerillo as Cannoli
• Richard Petrocelli as Uncle Frank
• Harry Seddon as the Teacher
• Lola Glaudini as Italian Woman
• Stephen Adly Guirgis as MTA worker
• Elizabeth Rodriguez as Waldorf Event Assistant
• Isaac Schinazi as Pastry Chef
• Mason Pettit as Drunk Man on Subway

Production

Robert Glaudini’s play was originally performed in 2007 by the LAByrinth Theater Company, with Hoffman, Ortiz and Rubin-Vega performing in the same roles that they play in the film version.

The film was co-financed by Overture Films (known for The Men Who Stare at Goats and Law Abiding Citizen) and Big Beach Films (known for Little Miss Sunshine and Away We Go).{{Cite web | access-date = April 25, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110301154316/http://sundance.slated.com/2010/films/jackgoesboating_sundance2010 | archive-date = March 1, 2011 | url-status = dead

Pre-production and development for the film took place in January 2009.{{Cite web | access-date =April 26, 2011 }} Filming began in New York in February 2009. The Clinton Diner of Maspeth, Queens in New York City is a featured location in the film. Post-production took place in October 2009 and the film was completed in March 2010.

Release

The film premiered on January 23, 2010 at the 26th Sundance Film Festival. It was later distributed by Overture Films and Relativity Media and it was released on four screens in New York City and Los Angeles on September 17, 2010. It opened to $28,916 for a $7,229 per screen average.

Outside of the U.S, the film was featured in a number of foreign film festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival, the Torino Film Festival, the Tokyo International Film Festival, and the Dubai International Film Festival. The film grossed $95,487 overseas, bringing its current global total gross to $637,479. It was later released in the United Kingdom on November 4, 2011.

Reception

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 67% based on 107 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "It's made the journey from stage to screen somewhat worse for wear, but Jack Goes Boating remains a sensitive, well-acted character study."{{Cite web

It was especially noted for the performances of the four leading actors, and was compared favorably with similar romantic films from the 1950s, such as Marty (1955). Simon Hattenstone of The Guardian also called the film "refreshing" as it showed Hoffman playing for a change "a regular dysfunctional guy rather than a freaky dysfunctional guy". Linda Barnard of the Toronto Star said "the dialogue makes the movie feel more a creature of stage than screen", but also noted, "The performances are ego-free and often funny", and concluded "Hoffman admirably works both sides of the camera with Jack Goes Boating, a reminder that love is indeed where you find it and works best when we don’t look too closely."

Awards

Jack Goes Boating was nominated for four major awards in 2010. For his performance as Clyde, John Ortiz was nominated for a Gotham Award in the category of Breakthrough Actor. The award went to Ronald Bronstein for his performance in Daddy Longlegs. The film was also nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards.{{Cite web | access-date = April 27, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110304042458/http://www.spiritawards.com/files/SA_11_nomonesheet.pdf | archive-date = March 4, 2011 | url-status = dead | access-date =April 27, 2011 }} Daphne Rubin-Vega was also nominated for her performance as Lucy in the Best Supporting Female category but lost to Dale Dickey in Winter's Bone. Robert Glaudini was nominated in the Best First Screenplay category but lost to Lena Dunham for Tiny Furniture.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack album for the film featuring the following songs is available from Lakeshore Records.{{Cite web | access-date = April 25, 2011 | archive-date = September 28, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110928171315/http://www.lakeshore-records.com/jackgoesboating/?tracklisting | url-status = dead | access-date =April 25, 2011 }}

References

References

1. "Jack Goes Boating (2010)". [[Box Office Mojo]].
2. "Jack Goes Boating". Jack Goes Boating Movie.
3. Scott, A. O.. (2010-09-17). "Learning to Swim in the Deep End of Life's Pool". The New York Times.
4. Koslofsky, Jonah. (2021-01-11). "P.S.H. I Love You: PSH steps behind the camera in "Jack Goes Boating"".
5. Franklin, Garth. (2009-02-09). "Jack Goes Boating Commences Filming".
6. (2010-09-12). "Action! Philip Seymour Hoffman & Co. scoured NYC for feel-real settings in 'Jack Goes Boating'".
7. "Jack Goes Boating (2010)".
8. "Jack Goes Boating at the Toronto International Film Festival". [[Toronto International Film Festival]].
9. "Jack Goes Boating at the Torino Film Festival". [[Torino Film Festival]].
10. "Jack Goes Boating at the Tokyo International Film Festival". [[Tokyo International Film Festival]].
11. "Jack Goes Boating at the Dubai International Film Festival". [[Dubai International Film Festival]].
12. "Jack Goes Boating reviews". [[Metacritic]].
13. Abraham, Raphael. (November 3, 2011). "Film releases: November 4". Financial Times.
14. McCarthy, Todd. (January 24, 2010). "Review: ''Jack Goes Boating''". Variety.
15. Ebert, Roger. (September 22, 2010). "The man who is always blushing". Chicago Sun-Times.
16. Hattenstone, Simon. (October 28, 2011). "Philip Seymour Hoffman: 'I was moody, mercurial... it was all or nothing'". The Guardian.
17. Barnard, Linda. (2010-09-23). "Jack Goes Boating: the cost of keeping love afloat".
18. (October 18, 2010). "Nominations Announced for 2010 Gotham Independent Film Awards". [[Collider (website).
19. Karger, Dave. (November 29, 2010). "'Winter's Bone' wins big at Gotham Awards". [[EW.com.