My First
Mister
is a rarity: a great find at the video store. It’s one of those
movies that slipped in under the radar that one wouldn’t find
unless tired of the usual Hollywood offerings. I picked up the
box, read the synopsis, saw a few familiar actors and decided to
make it that night’s entertainment. What I stumbled upon was a
real treat. My First Mister is a movie with heart, and a
story about life and all of its uncertainties, without a lot of
sappiness.
Jennifer
(Leelee Sobieski,
The Glass House) is a confused, over pierced teenager
who chooses to dress entirely in black. A look at her divorced
parents gives insight into Jennifer’s confusion. Her Mother
(Carol Kane) is flippant and utterly clueless, while her Father
(John Goodman) is stuck in the sixties. Jennifer finds herself
without a job and goes looking for one at the Century City Mall.
She is met with stares as every possible employer turns her
away. She finds work in the least likely place of all, an
upscale clothing store. Randall (Albert Brooks) sees something,
maybe just an escape from his everyday life, in Jennifer and
offers her a back of the house stockroom position. A unique
friendship has begun.
Jennifer
develops a crush on Randall that doesn’t seem to be unrequited.
I originally thought that these two were attracted to each other
because they were complete opposites; Jennifer being female,
young, attractive, and misunderstood while Randall is male, old,
physically unattractive, and dull. Their similarities are
revealed once Jennifer begins to make her mark on Randall’s
life. Each is misunderstood, and alone, longing for
companionship and have been unsuccessful at finding it until
they stumbled upon one another.
My First
Mister
brilliantly kept me interested and on the edge of my seat.
Tension is felt as soon as this socially unacceptable
relationship begins. There are numerous times when one feels
that they will take that final physical step turning Jennifer
into nothing more than a cheap thrill, and Randall into a
pedophile. Jill Franklin (writer) graciously sidesteps this
pitfall of many movies to tell the bigger story about life and
family.
Leelee
Sobieski has given us a glimpse of her acting talents as she
sinks her teeth into a great character after some throwaway
roles in films like
Joyride. She perfectly captures the fear, confusion,
loneliness and love of a teenager who just wants to understand
and be understood. Brooks plays Randall as a middle-aged man
lost in the trenches of a routine. Due to Brooks’ talent,
Randall never comes off as anything but sincere even though he
is developing a questionable love for a teenager.
My First
Mister
is a gift in the movie world where teenage girls are all big
breasted, pouty-lipped women, and men are dirty with only sex on
their mind. This film goes beyond the teen angst niche that has
been exploited by many Hollywood movies as a time not for
self-discovery but for sexual voyeurism. A story is told that
leaves the viewer with a warm feeling long after the movie has
ended.
The
picture is great. The movie was shot in widescreen format, which
I thought was interesting.
The
Audio
English
5.1 Surround, English Dolby Surround, Subtitles
The
Extras
-Commentary by Director Christine Lahti: The Commentary is
noteworthy. It reveals some interesting insights into casting
and filming of My First Mister. It is mentioned that are a
number of deleted scenes. I love deleted scenes on a DVD,
however, they weren’t included here.
Overall
This is a
fantastic movie that I would highly recommend. Even though there
aren’t many extras, you want to see this movie for the story
itself. It is a great family film, or a date movie.
