BlogCritics DVD Review: The Search for John Gissing

Of all the Mike Binder films I’ve seen, The Search for John Gissing is the oldest. It’s also Binder’s most comedy-oriented film. Just arriving on DVD through good, new-fashioned Internet self-distribution, The Search for John Gissing proves once again that Binder is one of the most uniquely talented comedic writer/directors working today.

John Gissing stars the prolific writer, director, and actor Binder as Matthew Barnes, a middle-aged executive who is forced to move to London with his wife Linda (Janeane Garofalo). There, it’s intended that he manage his employer’s acquisition of a German company and take over a position at the London branch. Unfortunately, John Gissing (Alan Rickman), the man Barnes is supposed to replace in London, is in charge of making sure he arrives on time for the meetings. And Gissing knows Barnes is replacing him.

For Barnes, business is war. Gissing and Barnes begin a game of corporate one-upmanship that soon drives Barnes’s wife crazy, while pushing Barnes to his limits as a company man. As the war progresses, Barnes begins to realize this big business thing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Like most of Binder’s other films, Gissing is about a middle-aged white man, who, due to the absurdities and pressures of professional life, decides to reevaluate his life. Whereas the stories in Reign Over Me, The Upside of Anger, and Man About Town were more dramatic in tone, Binder’s work in Gissing is a classical farce with his trademark touch of brutal human honesty.

Alan Rickman’s turn in this film is a sight to behold. The downbursts of comedic energy from this stoic Brit are the perfect complement to Binder’s performance as a hot-headed, ham-fisted American. With Garofalo in the mix, as well as Binder’s slightly off-beat moments of comedy writing genius, Gissing is a treat for audiences hungry for something different from their comedy.

The film effortlessly glides from experimental to mainstream on a whim. It holds true to the contemporary setting while harkening back to classic comedies. Some filmmakers seem to get away with it a lot easier than Binder does, but Binder does it on his own terms.

Of course, “on his own terms” means a The Search for John Gissing DVD is only available through The FreeBird. But what are two or three clicks when you get rare and wonderful comedy in return?

Link

Office Chase

Combustible Celluloid review by Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy The Search for John Gissing on DVD

 Writer/director/actor Mike Binder has recently moved up a notch on the Hollywood list with his critical successes The Upside of Anger (2005) and Reign Over Me (2007). This 2001 comedy, shot in England, was obliterated in the wake of 9/11 and never really moved past a few film festival dates and press screenings, and so Binder has decided to distribute the film himself via thefreebird.com. Binder stars as Matthew Barnes, an American businessman transferred to London to help close a major deal.

Janeane Garofalo plays his wisecracking wife Linda. Upon their arrival, nothing seems to go quite right; no one picks them up at the airport, their lodgings have fallen through, and they don't have any money. It turns out that the man Barnes will eventually replace, John Gissing (Alan Rickman), is deliberately sabotaging them to keep his job. Before long, however, Barnes and Gissing must team up to protect themselves from greater evils.

Unlike Binder's more recent, mature works, The Search for John Gissing revels in the humor of the uncomfortable, setting its comic tone high and going for slapstick and crudities whenever possible. (It's interesting to note that some of Binder's other early films include comedies like Blankman and The Sex Monster). However, in the midst of all this running around Binder finds a lulling tone, thanks mainly to the quality of the performances.

Rickman, in particular, is a master at remaining still in the face of chaos; he's a much-needed ingredient here. Binder occasionally uses an interesting split-screen technique that has the effect of keeping the energy up; he doesn't need to waste time cutting. The great Juliet Stevenson co-stars as a fellow employee and likewise lends priceless class and grace to the film.

DVD Details: The DVD comes with a commentary track by Binder and film editor Roger Nygard, deleted scenes, outtakes, a behind-the-scenes featurette and a photo gallery.

Starring: Mike Binder, Janeane Garofalo, Alan Rickman, Sonya Walger, Juliet Stevenson, Allan Corduner, Owen Teale, Frank Harper, James Lance, Lee Oakes, Angela Pleasence, Tim Briggs, Caroline Holdaway
Written by: Mike Binder
Directed by: Mike Binder
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 91 minutes
Date: August 27, 2007

Link

MovieHabit review: The Search for John Gissing

by Marty Mapes

2 1/2 stars 

The Search for John Gissing has a lot going against it. It’s a straight-to-video release of a film that never got distribution back when it was first completed in 2001. Which means it is six years old, and it has a pre-9/11 sensibility.

But the film boasts as its writer, director, and co-star, Mike Binder, who earlier this year released Reign Over Me with Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler. Before that, Binder earned critical acclaim as writer and director of The Upside of Anger. Neither film earned our top recommendation, but both showed genuine empathy and a strong sense of drama, making Binder a writer/director to watch.

The promise of an interview with Binder — along with a plea from the producer about supporting independently produced movies and a bit of flattery for a small-time critic — made The Search for John Gissing a straight-to-video DVD worth reviewing.

Whether it’s worth a trip to the video store or the Netflix queue is an open question.

Twenty, Twenty, etc.

“The Search for John Gissing” describes the film’s first twenty minutes. Matthew and Linda Barnes (Binder and Janeane Garofalo) arrive in London from Chicago and everything that could go wrong in a foreign country, does. Jet lag, time zone shifts, transportation mix-ups, and currency problems plague our protagonist couple. On top of that, Matthew is supposed to give a business presentation on the most important deal of his career.

The setup is a classic screwball comedy with lively banter between two quick-witted actors (some of their dialogue was improvised). The missing Mr. Gissing, who was supposed to meet them at the airport, may mischievously be behind all of their travel problems. Or maybe Matthew is just the kind of guy who has to blame someone else for his bad luck.

In the next twenty minutes we find Mr. Gissing (Alan Rickman), and we learn that he did indeed orchestrate some of the chaos that swept the first twenty minutes. In this second twenty, Gissing and Matthew try to undercut each other to get ahead in the firm.

Judging from these opening segments, a whole film about travel problems could be lot of fun. Ditto for a whole film about the clever backstabbings of two dedicated businessmen. But when the late-middle act kicks in, the movie resorts to a predictable story about landing The Big Deal. There are still screwball moments, and some are fun, but weight of the plot deadens some of the comedy that seemed so bright earlier on.

Talent Show

Binder assembled a terrific cast of British and American actors. Binder, Rickman and Garofalo are wonderful in the leads. You may not immediately recognize the names of Alan Corduner and Juliet Stevenson, and Owen Teale, but when you see them, you’ll recognize them, and you’ll appreciate their talent and comedic presence.

They are part of what make The Search for John Gissing a serviceable comedy. On the whole, the movie is a little uneven, and it sometimes lacks sparkle. But it offers laughs throughout and it doesn’t make any serious mistakes.

That’s not exactly a glowing recommendation, and The Search for John Gissing may not deserve one. But consider adding it to your queue if you’re a fan of Rickman, Binder, Garofalo, or modern-day screwball comedies.

Link