The Amateurs

Honest, Genuinely Funny, and Very Touching Little Film
THE AMATEURS is about as close to the quality of British film comedies (a high compliment indeed!) as we have seen, thanks to writer/director Michael Traeger. It is everything a small town community aura represents without the stumbling blocks of cruelty that so often provide the turning point in 'rural stories' that defame the simple homespun humanity that is too often foreign to the big city life. Perhaps to refer to it as 'sweet' will rile some review readers, but for this viewer the overriding emotion at the close of the story is just that - sweet, in the finest sense of the term.

The film is narrated by the down and out, unemployed, newly divorced middle-aged crisis victim Andy Sargentee (Jeff Bridges) who spends his time in the local watering hole trying to come up with an idea that will change his fortune - and life. Giving up his marriage to Thelma (Jeanne Tripplehorn) and his son Billy (Alex D. Linz) has been painful but Andy believes he will somehow regain their...

A Comedy About Porn
The low-key effect of the film grabbed my attention from the beginning as actor Jeff Bridges began his narration of his life in the little town of Butterface Field. He introduced the characters while playing his character engaged in troubled thought, sitting alone, in the local restaurant bar.

Bridges is Andy Sargentee, a husband and father who places his impulses above the economic viability of the family by relieving himself on the desks of every supervisor he has had (and despises). His wife, played by Jeanne Triplehorn, sets off into divorce and the sunset with the station wagon and their son.

Bridges only support now is the town of Butterface Field, the place in which he was born and raised. The townsfolk know him well enough especially when he is about to come up with a brainstorm, which they are apprehensive about. Friends and neighbors at adjacent tables see the mental storm brewing. (He led them into a Ponzi scheme before just when the tulip bubble...

A quirky film with an excellent cast
I can't quite put this up at the 5 star level, but it's awfully close.

Big props to the cast here as they really do a great job here and seem perfectly cast for the roles each is asked to play.

Lead actor Jeff Bridges puts on a great performance as a man (Andy Sargentee) that is looking for his one big break, but unfortunately has failed at everything he's ever tried. Early on we find that he lost his wife because he's just not able to be responsible and can't take care of his family because of his lack of steady income. His son's birthday comes up and he goes to the store to buy a gift for him only to realize he just can't afford the one he feels is right. Real embarassment kicks in when he goes to his wife's new home and finds that it isn't just a big home, it's a complete mansion.

From that embarassment springs inspiration as Andy sits deep in thought in the town bar. Eventually he's inspired to make a porn movie with the help and support of his...

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