Milk and Honey (2003)

Director:

Joe Maggio

Writer:

Joe Maggio (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Over one night in New York City, lives of disparate strangers intersect by fate and circumstance.

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Clint Jordan	...	Rick Johnson
Kirsten Russell	...	Joyce Johnson
Dudley Findlay Jr.	...	Moses Jackson
Anthony Howard	...	Tony
Greg Amici	...	Dudley
Eleanor Hutchins
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jennie Epland
Richard Gnolfo	...	Dinner Party Guest
Lizabeth Sant'Angelo	...	Maud
Eric Wippo	...	Troy

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Company:

Concrete Films

Clint Jordan ROCKS!!!

Although most low-budget indies rarely offer more than off-the-wall storytelling, every now and then a 'star' is born and this is one of those cases. Clint Jordan is on a hot streak (most recently appeared in the still undistributed "Down to the Bone") and after 15 years in the business may get the 'overnight' success he has earned.

As 'Rick', Jordan shows off a full range of emotion detailing the efforts of recently hospitalized mental patient to adjust back into society. The film opens with a 'welcome' party of sorts with Rick's friends and co-workers but the stress seems to be a bit too much. After obsessing about his tie he breaks up the party by proposing marriage to the love of his life ... his wife. When she doesn't accept a shouting match ensues and Rick takes to the streets alone.

Rick's journeys and the people he meets along the way expose the deepseated feelings many mentally ill people are forced to deal with everyday, including continual suicidal ideation. Where this film goes wrong (in the second half) is by splitting the attention of the audience between Rick and the unrealistic adventures of his wife and a younger man she meets at a party. These sections of the film are almost absurd in context and distract from Rick's very realistic struggles.

Maybe next time budding 'indie auteur' Joe Maggio will realize that one interesting character (as perfectly performed by Clint Jordan) is all the audience needs. As they say in film school - K*I*S*S (keep it simple ...), cause sometimes less is more, a lot more.