Jump Tomorrow [DVD] [2001]

 

 

Create your own review

I usually try to avoid romantic comedies but i'm really glad I came across this film. It's very original and is a breath of fresh air to the genre. The story centres around the character of George(Tunde Adebimpe)who is about to commit to an arranged marriage. His bride is about to arrive from Nigeria but he goes to the airport to meet her on the wrong day. He decides to travel up to meet her in Niagra Falls where the wedding is being held but while at the airport he has a chance meeting with eccentric Gerad (Hippolyte Girardot)and beautiful Alicia (Natalia Verbeke). This is a quirky romantic road movie with great performances from all the cast. Included on the DVD is the original theatrical trailer. If you enjoy American films which lean more toward Europe in style than Hollywood you'll really enjoy this film. I cannot recommend highly enough.

More than likely you'll be left with questions after watching this film. Why isn't it better-known? Why wasn't it more successful at the box office? Why is it now so difficult to find? And how come dozens of inferior rom-coms get so much more praise?

There are several possible reasons. It isn't American. It doesn't have any big-name stars. It features an interracial romance yet doesn't feel the need to draw attention to this in any way. It's low-budget, quirky, and unusual without trying to be cool or knowing.

Whatever the reason, `Jump Tomorrow' has become yet another victim of the deluge of mediocrity that sweeps away all before it, good and bad alike.

In a hundred years or so an archaeologist or historian might unearth the last remaining copy, recognise its value as a lost cultural treasure and restore it to its rightful place as The Second Best Romantic Comedy Ever Made (`Amelie' will always be number one); however, I doubt it . Chances are it will eventually disappear without a trace. Which is all the more reason to hunt out a copy - to buy or rent - while you still can.

Why should you bother? Well, because this is escapism at its very best. For an hour and a half you can forget all the horrors of the world, all the sorrows of your life, and just remember how great it is to fall in love. `Jump Tomorrow' is entirely free of cynicism. It doesn't try to sell you anything, except the idea that love and friendship are maybe, after all, the only things that matter.

When you start watching you might think Tunde Adebimpe isn't much of an actor, but just wait. You might think Hippolyte Girardot isn't much better, but just wait. You might think the music is a little weird and the sets have been stolen from a Mondrian exhibition, but just wait. Because something magical is about to happen. You just don't know it yet.

The plot is simple enough. George, a Nigerian man about to enter into an arranged marriage, misses his fiancee's flight and has to make his way to Niagara Falls where the wedding is due to take place. At the airport he meets and falls for a Spanish girl, Alicia, only to find out she has a boyfriend. He also meets a suicidal Frenchman, Gerard, whose marriage proposal has just been rejected. After George `saves' Gerard, Gerard offers to drive George to Niagara Falls, neither of them realising that Alicia and her boyfriend are also travelling to Canada.

There's nothing extraordinary about the plot, no sudden unforeseen twists, no surprise ending. OF COURSE George and Alicia get together at the end: what else is going to happen? What else do you want or expect? The brilliance of this film lies elsewhere.

For all its quirkiness, `Jump Tomorrow' is fundamentally, refreshingly, beautifully SANE. It's an antidote to all the madness of modern-day life, all the selfishness, the cruelty, the insensitivity. The characters are innocents, dreamers, unashamed romantics. The tone is light and playful throughout, especially when George and Gerard find themselves spending the night together in the Romeo and Juliet suite of The Love Lodge Hotel. Gerard takes a bath in a huge champagne glass while George figures out the controls on the vibrating bed, before the two men head to the ballroom, where the band, Shards of Glass, (`yes, yes, yes!') are in full flow, and a group of women, led by Heather Leather, are waiting for dance partners. It's pure genius, precisely because it doesn't rely on being funny at someone else's expense. There's a kindness and humanity underpinning this whole movie which is really what sets it apart ( and is probably what accounts for its lack of success).

I suspect `Jump Tomorrow' was a little too romantic for some: meaning it requires too much of a surrender, too great a sacrifice of the cynicism most of us hide behind. For the rest - those willing to let their guard down and FEEL THE LOVE - this is a rewarding, life-affirming treat.

All too often American movies get tarred with the same old Hollywood blockbuster brush but this gem is more UK orientated in its style & is bursting with character & subtlety; it's quirky, funny & thoroughly enjoyable.
The French element adds a different twist (ok, so you'll have to watch it to really understand what I mean as I don't want to spoil the treat in this review)but the whole film is packed with feeling & humour.
Why this wasn't a massive hit is beyond me.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 3 customer reviews on Amazon.co.uk

 

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Search Listmania!