Jump Tomorrow (2001)

Director:

Joel Hopkins

Writers:

Joel Hopkins (screenplay)
Joel Hopkins (short story "Jorge")
(more)

Release Date:

9 November 2001 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Comedy

Plot:

A young Nigerian man on the verge of being in an arranged marriage, suddenly questions his situation after an encounter with a stunning Latin woman, who is also about to be married.

Plot Keywords:

Airport | Arranged Marriage | Niagara Falls | Family Loyalty | Male Female Relationship

Awards:

3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Tunde Adebimpe	...	George Abiola
Raul A. Reyes	...	Co-worker
Alan Gryfe	...	Teacher
Amy Sedaris	...	Other Student in Class
Arthur Anderson	...	Jeweler
Leisa Heintzelman	...	Airport Official
Isiah Whitlock Jr.	...	George's Uncle
Natalia Verbeke	...	Alicia
Hippolyte Girardot	...	Gerard
Murielle Arden	...	Claudette Chadoutard
James Wilby	...	Nathan
Kaili Vernoff	...	Heather Leather
William Barry	...	Compere
Carole Bayeux	...	PVC Girl
Gene Ruffini	...	Great Uncle
Patricia Mauceri	...	Consuelo
Cherie Jiminez	...	Maria
Abiola Abrams	...	Sophie Ochenado (as Abiola Wendy Abrams)
Deen Badarou	...	Priest
Anthony Genco	...	Boy at Falls
Charles Temo	...	Border Guard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paul Galvin	...	Lead Singer -Shards of Glass - The Painkillers
Rashad Hawkins	...	Alicia's Other Boyfriend
Tahnesha Hawkins	...	Airport lady w stroller
Alia Raza	...	Partygoer (uncredited)

Directed by
Joel Hopkins

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Joel Hopkins		screenplay
Joel Hopkins		short story "Jorge"
Iain Tibbles		additional writer

Produced by
Howard Gertler	....	associate producer
Gill Holland	....	associate producer
Jake Myers	....	co-producer
Tim Perell	....	executive producer
Nicola Usborne	....	producer
Paul Webster	....	executive producer

Original Music by
John Kimbrough

Cinematography by
Patrick Cady

Film Editing by
Susan Littenberg

Casting by
Ali Farrell

Production Design by
John Paino

Art Direction by
Gonzalo Cordoba

Set Decoration by
Brenna Griffin

Costume Design by
Sarah J. Holden

Makeup Department
Kerrie R. Plant	....	key hair stylist
Kerrie R. Plant	....	key makeup artist
Alessandra Sanitate	....	hair stylist
Alessandra Sanitate	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Elinor Day	....	executive in charge of production
Robin Gutch	....	executive in charge of production
Danielle Shelov	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kenneth Findley	....	assistant director
Michel Geldzweig	....	second assistant director
Jeff Huston	....	first assistant director
Jimmy Price	....	second unit director

Art Department
Kenan Erdogan	....	property master
A.J. Fries	....	scenic artist
Jose Pavon	....	assistant property master

Sound Department
Benjamin Cheah	....	supervising sound editor
Marko A. Costanzo	....	foley artist
Judy Karp	....	production sound mixer
Thomas Kodros	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
George A. Lara	....	foley mixer
Skip Lievsay	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jaime Reyes	....	boom operator
Paul Urmson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paul Urmson	....	supervising sound editor
Lila Yomtoob	....	apprentice sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Eric Boncher	....	best boy electric
Nathan Brown	....	electrician
Nathaniel R. Brown	....	swing grip (as Nathan Brown)
Liz Campbell	....	camera loader
Greg Faysash	....	second assistant camera (as Gregg Faysash)
Camille Freer	....	first assistant camera
Heidi Grunwald	....	best boy grip
Jon Hokanson	....	additional gaffer
Steven Kessler	....	still photographer
Sam Kretschmer	....	key grip
Sophie Molins	....	still photographer
Dominic Nardini	....	grip
Vincent Passeri	....	additional gaffer
Kate Phelan	....	director of photography: second unit
Kate Phelan	....	gaffer
Adam Silver	....	third electrician
Melissa Soltis	....	additional second assistant camera
Tim Spellman	....	best boy grip
Craig Striano	....	best boy grip
Ron Travisano	....	additional assistant camera
Hector Vasquez	....	third electrician
Matthew Witgenstein	....	third grip

Casting Department
Sarah Allentuch	....	casting associate
Françoise Combadière	....	additional casting: France (as Françoise Combadière Stern)
Rashad Hawkins	....	casting
Nadira Seecoomar	....	casting: uk
Madira Seecoomer	....	casting: UK (as Nadira Seecoomar)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lorraine Coppin	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Fred Heid	....	color timer
Renata Karr	....	first assistant editor
Robert Leaton	....	colorist
Tim Raycroft	....	assistant editor
Patricia Sztaba	....	negative cutter
Stan Sztaba	....	negative cutter
Joe Violante	....	color coordinator
Paul Zucker	....	assistant editor

Transportation Department
Richard Curry	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Lisa Arnone	....	script supervisor
Dale Cameron	....	script supervisor
Amy Comstock	....	additional production accountant
Ian Edelman	....	additional production assistant
Jason Grey	....	additional production assistant
Rashad Hawkins	....	production coordinator
Rico Huang	....	location intern
Gina Jarrin	....	unit publicist
Tracey Josephs	....	physical production
Jimmy Kim	....	additional production assistant
Jennifer Latham	....	additional production accountant
Melissa Lintinger	....	post-production accountant
Kim Maley	....	title designer
Jeff Murry	....	assistant production coordinator
Kip Myers	....	location assistant
Kenyon Noble	....	key production assistant
Cathy Novembre	....	set production assistant
Eric Oden	....	production accountant
Seth Pilipski	....	key production assistant
Jimmy Price	....	location manager
Jennifer Quesenbery	....	location scout
Danielle Retzlaff	....	set intern
Kimberly Shea	....	production coordinator
Markham Sindeband	....	additional production assistant
Amanda Street	....	international sales: FilmFour
Spring Sutter	....	post-production accountant
Justin Thomson-Glover	....	business affairs
Hughroy Williams	....	additional production assistant

Thanks
Alfonso Cuarón	....	special thanks
Polly Leach	....	thanks
Chris Santucci	....	special thanks
Alexandra Stone	....	thanks
Emily Ziff	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Eureka Pictures
• FilmFour
• Jorge Productions

Distributors

• ARP Sélection (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• IFC Films (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM Home Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Nelonen (2006) (Finland) (TV)

Special Effects

• Cineric

Other Companies

• Axium Entertainment Group  payroll
• C.S.  sound mixing
• Camera Service Center  camera and lenses
• Cood Edit Inc.  post-production services
• Performance Lighting Rentals Inc.  lighting equipment
• Post Production Playground  video dailies
• World Cinevision Services  negative matching

Also Known As:

"Life: A User's Manual" - USA

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic material, mild sensuality and language

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | French | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:PG | USA:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Buffalo, New York, USA

Company:

Eureka Pictures

Movie Connections:

Remake of Jorge (1998)

Soundtrack:

Sweet Lipped Chocolate Muffin

An overlooked gem

My first viewing of "Jump Tomorrow" was a rare instance when I knew I was going to love a film as soon as I saw the first shot, which depicts nothing more unusual than a bespectacled man being fitted into a suit. From the man's stiff posture and timid face it is obvious that he's very shy and passive. I immediately realized that I was seeing a good actor who was able to suggest an entire personality while hardly doing anything, indeed barely moving at all.

The name of the actor is Tunde Adebimpe, and I am astonished that he is not more famous. Apparently, this is one of the only films he's ever acted in, other than the short college film it's based on, in which he played the same character. Primarily, he's an animator rather than an actor. But the performance he gives in this film is nothing short of remarkable. And it is in the course of an extremely creative and quirky little movie that brings surprising life to an old formula.

The plot is simple: George, an American from a Nigerian immigrant family, is about to marry a childhood friend, and on the way to the wedding he falls for a Spanish woman, Alicia. If that premise sounds hopelessly familiar, the movie finds just about every possible way to make it seem fresh and original. While the beginning and end stick pretty closely to the conventions of the genre, the events in between manage to take some very interesting turns. The film is like one of those magical rooms that's much larger on the inside than on the outside.

When you hear the premise you might be led to assume, as I first did, that this is merely another ethnic comedy about someone who's expected to marry within the culture but ends up falling for someone of another ethnicity and at first the family objects, but eventually everyone comes around and learns a valuable lesson about cultural tolerance. While some of those films are enjoyable in their way, this patronizing approach is all too common in the movies, where the formula is always about whether some "exotic" culture is willing to adapt to Western norms that are inevitably deemed superior. Thankfully, "Jump Tomorrow" is not in that tradition at all. In fact, it deals surprisingly little with ethnicity, even though all the major characters are either non-white or non-American. By the middle of the film, you're likely to forget that it's even about an interracial relationship, because that point is never dwelt upon. George's family naturally expects him to marry the woman he grew up with, and the reason he's going along with their plans has nothing to do with some antiquated family betrothal custom: it is simply because he's such a passive and accepting individual.

Adebimpe plays the character to such perfection that some of the movie's laughs come simply from the nuances of his voice and gestures. His lines reflect an understanding of these subtle traits, as when he casually observes that "My face doesn't make sense without glasses." Comedy usually depends on frustrating a character's expectations, and "Jump Tomorrow" is no exception. I just don't believe I've ever seen in any other comedy a character quite like George, who wants nothing more than to blend in and be invisible, to avoid making waves. But he's inevitably humiliated in a hilarious sequence involving a woman named Heather Leather (the name still cracks me up), in an ill-advised scheme by his friend Gerard to make Alicia jealous. The event takes place at a hotel with a love motif and a variety of strange furniture, including a bathtub in the form of giant champagne glass. Without ever quite descending into surrealism, these scenes play like a tribute to several comic filmmakers from Blake Edwards to Woody Allen.

But George has a very basic dignity that grows on you as the film progresses. Gerard has his own problems, and indeed the movie's title refers to George's words when talking his friend out of suicide. Gerard calls it "the best talk-down speech I've ever heard," and I'd have to agree.

As in most romantic comedies, the rival love interest is a douche bag. But in "Jump Tomorrow," even this character is given so many quirky and eccentric traits that he seems an original creation. He's a British professor who practices taekwondo in the rain, gives Alicia an engagement ring made of bone, and refers to her family as "fascinating." We are tempted to wonder what she, a hopeless romantic, sees in him. That is a question we've all asked many times, both about movies and about real life.

At one point, Gerard gets into an argument with the professor over whether the French language is obsolete. This is one of many amusing scenes that deal with the theme of language differences. In an attempt to impress Alicia, George tries to learn Spanish by listening to travel audio-cassettes picked up at a local convenience store and by watching Spanish soap operas. Of course, he never gains more than a beginner's proficiency in the language, but in his fantasies he can speak the language fluently. The movie spoofs Spanish soaps in a handful of scenes in which he imagines himself as a character in one of these shows. Then there is Alicia's deaf-mute grandfather who takes an immediate liking to George, giving a wonderful performance without words and helping to highlight the movie's theme that commonality transcends language. "Jump Tomorrow" is a small masterpiece that I have made it my mission to make known to other movie lovers.