For Catherine (2005)

User Rating:

4.2/10   

Director:

Ethan Hunter

Writer:

Ethan Hunter (writer)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

After a two year courtship Catherine's departure for Oxford University sends Duo completely 'round the bend leaving his friends to try and pick up the sad, silly pieces.

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film

Cast

Christopher Arbor	...	Mr. McPheely
Travis Barkley	...	Travis Stone
Catherine Campbell	...	Catherine Knight
Ed Fickle	...	Ed
Grant Henry	...	Duo Black
Ethan Hunter	...	Grant
Brunilda Rodriguez	...	Bru
Matt Shelton	...	Cell Phone Guy
Rachel Stephens	...	Rae
Nikki Talley	...	Michelle
Cleve Williams	...	Craig
Cleveland Williams	...	Craig

Runtime:

USA:107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

207 Pictures

Trivia:

This film began as an entirely separate screenplay titled, "207" which took place entirely in two dorm rooms.

Original, Thought-Provoking, and Crazy Cool

Well friends, I just got finished viewing For Catherine, an independent movie produced, written, and directed by Ethan Hunter (check out his website, 207pictures.com). Now, let me first warn you that this is not in any way a movie where lots of action occurs, or things blow up, etcetera. This was not filmed on a huge budget.It doesn't take advantage of any "hot" actors to boost its credibility. It is not your typical movie for this day and age. But that's what makes it one of the most thought-provoking, fresh, and original movies I've ever seen.

Now, here's how the story goes: Duo is in a relationship with Catherine. In fact, he has been for about two years. He's apparently been relatively happy with his life, until Catherine leaves in August for Oxford University. Duo is now alone, and doesn't know what to do. As a result, for one reason or another (which is actually explained quite well in the film itself), Duo decides to pack all of the belongings in his apartment, and Fed-Ex them all--to himself. That's right, from apartment 207, right back to apartment 207. Now, this is just where things begin. His roommate Travis, seeing that Duo is obviously having a hard time, attempts to get him out of this rut he appears to be stuck in. Thus begins Duo's journey of contemplation and self-discovery, with countless laughs and quirky moments all along the way.

I first want to talk about Duo. Duo is one of the most well-crafted and intriguing characters I've ever come across in any movie I've ever seen. His behavior in the beginning of the movie is odd, unexplainable, and sometimes unsettling. But, as the story goes on, we get to understand Duo and his motives, who he is, what he's hiding. As he slowly opens up to the viewer, we get more and more interested in what's going to happen to him next, what other side of him we're going to see. Travis is his friend/roommate/confidant/etc. Duo, for most of the movie, seems to live in a different world, which exists solely within the confines of his apartment. While other people visit from time to time, the only other person who's actually allowed into Duo's little world seems to be Travis. Sometimes, he seems to be the only other person that exists in Duo's mind. And he really is a good friend to him, cheering him up, always thinking of what's best for him, and even making the occasional inspired speech from time to time. In other words, the perfect supporting character.

Now, here's one of the reasons why I enjoyed this movie so much. I love movies with little action and lots of talking. I think it's mainly because those kinds of movies, especially comedies, are so hard to successfully execute. It takes so much skill in writing, and in the actors who put that hard work onto film. It takes more talent than one would think. And I can say with all confidence that For Catherine pulled this off with the kind of grace one can only be impressed by. The jokes are put in a satisfying balance between clever, traditional, and even a little physical. And other than the aforementioned few physical jokes, it's all done through conversation. And well, I might add.

Those of you who think Scary Movie 4 looks pretty funny need to see this instead. This is real humor.

Now, not only is For Catherine very funny. It also manages to be so true to real life and what goes through our heads on a regular basis, it's eerie. Duo's situation with Catherine is easily related to, no matter how much experience the viewer's had with the opposite sex. Each character is about as real as our friends and neighbors, but with enough quirks to be captivating and interesting enough to care about. It really all comes down to the brilliant writing, which I have to give props to Ethan for making an amazing script. I'd like a copy of the script to bind, preserve, and keep locked in a glass display box for all to see, I'm so impressed.

So we've got a captivating story, characters we care about, some of the most genuinely funny moments I've seen on film in a while, and to top it all off, a script to die for. What are you waiting for? Order the DVD from the 207 site, get some friends, and have one hell of a good time.