worth seeing
Added 4/9/2009
I enjoyed the contrast of corporate life with entertainment values. A theater doing "Cyrano" is a bit more of a challenge than I would be willing to face in my personal life, but if offers plenty of surprises for a guy who always seems to read like he is reading. There is such a difference between the printed word and what goes on on stage, and hardly anyone can believe than an outsider to the whole culture of theater will pick it all up by opening night. Sean Austin and Patty Duke were the only names I recognized at the beginning. By the end of the film, I was only sure of 7 characters' names for the cast list, but by going back to the beginning of the story, it was easy to fill in my number 8, a boss at work who prizes team efforts.
Our society pays people to work, but it is not very clear about what is going to happen to those who quit to take part in things that happen in their hearts. At some point, another job might come along, but the chaos that is possible for people who really don't know what to expect probably deserves to be a much larger part of our culture, because that seems to be the direction we keep heading in spite of any attempts to smooth things out.
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A bit fabulous!
Added 4/9/2007
I agree whole heartedly with the first review. A mixture of sweetness, hilarity, charm and wit, go into this familial theater film. As an actor involved with both community and professional theater, I related so well to the characters in this film. The egos, the artistry, the search for meaning, the sex; well, its all true. We've all felt the monotony of a meaningless job, but how many of us to take action and change our lives. This movie is inspires the courage to do just that. Lots of fun!
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Very sweet and gently humorous
Added 4/4/2007
I have been involved in small-town community theatres for 26 years and I LOVED this movie, as did my teenage son who watched it with me. We were able to correspond nearly every character to someone we knew from our own theatre experience and laughed until we cried at some of the antics. It's a little sentimental and is not the belly-laughing spoof of "Waiting for Guffman". It's more aligned with "A Midwinter's Tale" by Kenneth Branagh. But it is DEFINITELY worth a look.
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Not Big Enough--"Bigger" Still Delivers Quaint Charms And a Modest Entertainment
Added 11/24/2006
"Bigger Than The Sky" is a small, relatively inconsequential film about a regular guy discovering himself in the community theater milieu. A slight comedy, a slight romance, and an even slighter drama--this film is almost too nice for its own good. But with some colorful performances, this pleasant little endeavor seems to be a labor of love for those involved. And it's in this spirit that you actually get caught up in this "Sky."
There is a real innocence, a sweetness almost, about "Bigger than The Sky." Portland, as portrayed here, has a small town quaintness that I question. Marcus Thomas, in the lead, layers on the "aw-shucks" earnestness a bit much for my taste--but overall turns in a competent performance. I'd have preferred more texture in his character, though, I don't feel that we see too much beyond the surface. He needed to be developed a little further to create more of an impact with this tale. We never hear his backstory or learn anything about his broken relationship that triggers this radical new life. He even, at one point, leaves his job--but it's never mentioned again and I was interested in the repercussions to this.
The other cast members are appealing. John Corbett is playful and interesting as Portland's premiere community theater actor. Amy Smart, often better than she is given credit for, is a realistic romantic interest for both guys. Patty Duke, Claire Higgins, and Alan Corduner are all believable and add much charm to the story. Only Sean Astin seems out of place. In a blustery performance (I get it, he is insufferable), toning things down would have enhanced the film immeasurably.
Overall, "Bigger" was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed it as is--but with some tweaking, it could have been quite a treat. It's a fun diversion, however. If you have an interest in theater, especially, you should check this out. I'd rate it at about 3 1/2 stars which I'm rounding down because it would have been easy with this crew to make a much more substantial film. KGHarris, 11/06.
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Actor Al Corley directed this film about community theatre. Corley produced "Drowning Mona" with Bette Midler & Danny DeVito. Marcus Thomas who stars here as Peter Rooker played Midler's son in that film. Even though Thomas has acted in other films such as the street hustler in "Noel" with Susan Sarandon, his inexperience is SO convincing that you fully expect this to be his first film. The community theatre is producing "Cyrano de Bergerac" and the director Edwina wants to get to the "inner Cyrano" and decides to produce it without a nose. Edwina is played by Clare Higgins who starred in a couple horror flicks in the 80s ("Hellraiser" & "Hellbound: Hellraiser 2") as well as in "Stage Beauties" with Billy Crudup. She believes in Rooker until his inexperience seems to make him unable to produce a good performance. John Corbett who shined in TV's "Northern Exposure" and as the romantic lead in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" plays Michael, the semi-professional local theatre star whose Bohemian lifestyle leaves him living for the theatre. Amy Smart who shined in "Scotland PA," the tragicomedy adaptation of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" and also played with Ashton Kutcher in "Butterfly Effect" and with Owen Wilson & Ben Stiller in "Starsky & Hutch" does a great job as the local ingenue Grace who plays Roxanne in the local Cyrano production. Both Michael & Peter fall for Grace and vie for her affections. Michael lives with the former artistic director of the theatre named Kippy who now is dying of cancer. Kippy is played by Alan Corduner who was in "DeLovely" & "Vera Drake" in 2004 and seems to have pearls of wisdom before he dies. His memorial where his ashes are scattered in the theatre is an unusual moment. Greg Germann who was Fish on the Ally McBeal TV show plays Peter's boss and is less than understanding about Peter's newfound interest in theatre. Oscar winner Patty Duke ("The Miracle Worker" from 1962) plays two roles, Mrs. Keene the stage manager who is a retiring spinsterish woman and Earline who is the flashy push-up bra costumer. It's a fun dual role. Her real-life son Sean Astin who assumed legendary status as Samwise Gamgee in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy plays Ken Zorbell, the know-it-all actor who replaces Peter. When Duke locks Astin in the closet thus assuring Peter's opening night understudy performance, it's a rare mother-son scene. I enjoyed this show. It's a sweet domestic comedy with a great ensemble cast. It gives a great sense of how theatre people revel in the magic of performance. Enjoy!
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