Julian Po (1997)

Director:

Alan Wade

Writers:

Branimir Scepanovic (book)
Alan Wade (written by)

Release Date:

5 September 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Christian Slater is a stranger who comes to a small town. The local citizens think he's up to no good...

Plot Keywords:

Stranger | Alcohol | Gun | Barber | Lingerie Slip

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Christian Slater	...	Julian Po
Robin Tunney	...	Sarah
Michael Parks	...	Vern
Cherry Jones	...	Lucy
Frankie Faison	...	Sheriff Leon
Harve Presnell	...	Mayor Henry Leech
Allison Janney	...	Lilah Leech
LaTanya Richardson	...	Darlene (as Latanya Richardson)
Dina Waters	...	Dee (as Dina Spybey)
Bruce Bohne	...	Pastor Bean
Roy Cooper	...	Tobias the Barber
Zeljko Ivanek	...	Tom Potter
Ellen McElduff	...	Reva
Io Tillett Wright	...	Walter
Jeremy Jordan	...	Bobby

Also Known As:

The Tears of Julian Po

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements related to suicide, and for language and some sensuality.

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Australia:M | Germany:12 (video premiere) | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Fleischmanns, New York, USA

Company:

Cypress Films (I)

Quotes:

Sarah: I had a dream about you... That's why I'm here. I dreamed... I dreamed that I saw you in a field and the field became my bedroom and you were standing by my bed holding a big knife and suddenly you stabbed yourself with it and I woke up and I knew you were the man I'd been waiting for my whole life.

Movie Connections:

Version of Smrt gospodina Goluze (1982)

Soundtrack:

How to Fly

Where's the Point?

I really, really wanted to like Julian Po. I think that Slater is underrated as an actor, and that many of the supporting players here are better than they are given a chance to demonstrate in this film. I realize this is based on a short story which I have not read. So, I do not know if what I see as the film's faults originated with the story, or were imposed on it by the director/screenwriter. The premise is wonderful, and I loved the voiceover, confessional tone the opening narration strikes. But then...? Nothing! Several of the cliched local characters ask Julian pointblank to explain his intention to commit suicide. One could argue that he doesn't answer, because it's none of their business. But Julian is the one who, under only token pressure, blurted out his intentions in public. Then neither Julian nor the director/writer, despite the fact that the Julian character is keeping a tape recorded journal for God's sake, seem inclined to provide anything beyond the scant initial information on Julian's life. He says he was a bookkeeper. He says his family moved around when he was a child, due to his father's job. So what? There are several interactions with the locals which seem designed to illuminate Julian's purpose. But none of them go anywhere, because Julian seems to regard all these dopey locals as if they were aliens from another planet, as if he were the ultimate (and only) sane one among them. This might work as an allegory, if Julian Po had any defining characteristics or anything approaching wisdom to impart. The closest he comes to revealing anything about himself is in the scene in which he purposely humiliates the naive, religious wife of the mechanic. And what this scene reveals is not anything that would inspire empathy for Julian. I can only see the Julian character --as rendered--as selfish, petty, and totally condescending. Sort of matches the attitude of the director of this half-baked, contrived film. And poor Michael Parks, an actor who once had so much promise, is given nothing to work with here.