WAITING FOR FOREVER

WAITING FOR FOREVER is a lyrical, exquisite movie with a big heart. A young man named Willie returns to his hometown in Pennsylvania to finally tell Emma, the woman he loves, his feelings. Willie has been traumatized by the death of his parents in a train wreck when he was a child. At the time, Emma comforted him, telling Willie that his parents will always be there for him, even though they are in Heaven. Now, Emma is a successful actress in Hollywood, but she has returned home to visit her father, who is dying. What she doesn’t know is that Willie has been living in all the cities where she has been, just to be near her, and working as a street performer. How will she react?

WAITING FOR FOREVER is a poignant movie that grows in power as it develops. The second and third acts quietly and subtly grab the viewer’s interest, deftly increasing the emotional tension. It ends on a very uplifting, hopeful, joyful note that will send hearts soaring. The movie is a bit soft, but it has a strong moral worldview, with redemptive elements.

HEADLINE: ** Very Winsome **

Title: WAITING FOR FOREVER

Quality: * * * Acceptability: +1

SUBTITLES: None

WARNING CODES:

Language: L

Violence: V

Sex: None

Nudity: N

RATING: PG-13

RELEASE: February 4, 2011

TIME:

STARRING: Rachel Bilson, Tom Sturridge, Blythe Danner, Richard Jenkins, Nikki Blonsky, Matt Davis, Nelson Franklin

DIRECTOR: James Keach

PRODUCERS: James Keach, Trevior Albert

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: None

WRITER: Steve Adams

BASED ON THE NOVEL/PLAY BY: N/A

DISTRIBUTOR: Freestyle Releasing

CONTENT: (BB, C, Ro, L, V, N, M) Strong moral worldview with a redemptive premise, plus some light Romantic elements; one short “a” obscenity; light violence includes train wreck, woman throws two things at boyfriend, and two men fight and one man falls into table and dies; no sex scenes; upper male nudity with man in bathtub; alcohol use; no smoking; and, lying and man tries to frame another man for manslaughter.

GENRE: Drama

INTENDED AUDIENCE: Teenagers to adults

REVIEWER: Dr. Ted Baehr and Dr. Tom Snyder

REVIEW: WAITING FOR FOREVER is a lyrical, exquisite movie with a big heart. In many ways, it has a European feel to it, in the tradition of the Holy Fool stories of the great European writers.

A young man named Willie returns to his hometown in Pennsylvania to finally tell Emma, the woman he loves, his feelings. Willie has been traumatized by the death of his parents in a train wreck when he was a child. At the time, Emma comforted him, telling Willie that his parents will always be there for him, even though they are in Heaven.

Now, Emma is an actress in Hollywood with her own TV show, but she has returned home to visit her father, who is dying. What she doesn’t know is that Willie has been living in all the cities where she has been, just to be near her, and working as a street performer. She hasn’t really known Willie for years.

Back in Hollywood, Emma had a fight with her boyfriend after he found out she was having an affair with his best friend. The boyfriend has followed her back to Pennsylvania, trying to make up with her. Emma doesn’t know, however, that her boyfriend has accidentally killed his best friend in a fight.

Willie’s brother and his best friends Joe and Dolores, who still live in the town, know all about Willie’s feelings for Emma. They also know he has never been able to tell Emma, so they frown on Willie’s continuing obsession with her. They doubt if Willie will have the courage to tell Emma about his feelings now. Willie’s brother is also angry about Willie’s vagabond lifestyle, which he thinks is irresponsible.

Unable to confront Emma directly, Willie arranges an accidental meeting with Emma near her house. He convinces her to talk with him for a while, to catch up on old times. Will Willie be able to tell Emma the truth? How will she react? What’s going to happen with the boyfriend?

WAITING FOR FOREVER is a poignant movie that grows in power as it develops. The second and third acts quietly and subtly grab the viewer’s interest, deftly increasing the emotional tension. It ends on a very uplifting, hopeful, joyful note that will send hearts soaring.

The movie has a strong moral worldview, with redemptive elements. Willie is not a perfect person, but he is an innocent among the wolves. Although the tendency is to view him as a stalker, or someone who is imbalanced, the truth is that he understands who he is and is trying as best he can to overcome it. The deeper truth is that he’s in relationship with other people, so he actually listens and obeys what they ask in thoughtful ways.

As a Holy Fool does in great literature, Willie transforms the people around him. Emma goes from being self-centered to learning what love and compassion really mean. Her boyfriend is convicted of his terrible sin. Willie’s brother has a tremendous character arc. He finally realizes the purity of Willie’s soul and reconciles with his brother in one of the movie’s most powerful and touching scenes. This is the purpose of the Holy Fool, a Christ figure who transforms other people by his innocence.

The movie could improve its presentation with a couple minor changes. There’s one line that talks about the power of belief and perception over truth, but it’s said in the context that, when people believe something, they have the power to convince themselves it’s true when it actually may not be true. Even so, the line could be confusing. Jews and Christians do not believe that belief trumps truth, because they live in a real world with a real ontology and epistemology. Also, the jeopardy to Willie and Emma is not as strong as it could be. Finally, Emma’s dying father says some cruel words to his wife. We learn later, however, that the father is trying to get the wife to recognize and the reality of his condition, but the way he does so is too mean. Thus, viewers may develop an antipathy to his character.

Despite its problems, WAITING FOR FOREVER is a winsome, engaging romance that delves deeper than other movies of its kind.

Please address your comments to:

Mark Borde, Mike Doban and Susan Jackson

Co-Presidents

Freestyle Releasing

24995 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite A-103

Malibu, CA 90265

Phone: (310) 456-2332

Fax: (310) 456-7919

Website: www.freestylereleasing.com

Email: mark@freestylereleasing.com

SUMMARY: WAITING FOR FOREVER is a lyrical, exquisite movie with a big heart, about a talented street performer who tries to re-connect with the girl of his dreams, an actress with her own TV show. WAITING FOR FOREVER is a poignant, redemptive movie that grows in power as it develops.

IN BRIEF:

WAITING FOR FOREVER is a lyrical, exquisite movie with a big heart. A young man named Willie returns to his hometown in Pennsylvania to finally tell Emma, the woman he loves, his feelings. Willie has been traumatized by the death of his parents in a train wreck when he was a child. At the time, Emma comforted him, telling Willie that his parents will always be there for him, even though they are in Heaven. Now, Emma is a successful actress in Hollywood, but she has returned home to visit her father, who is dying. What she doesn’t know is that Willie has been living in all the cities where she has been, just to be near her, and working as a street performer. How will she react?

WAITING FOR FOREVER is a poignant movie that grows in power as it develops. The second and third acts quietly and subtly grab the viewer’s interest, deftly increasing the emotional tension. It ends on a very uplifting, hopeful, joyful note that will send hearts soaring. The movie is a bit soft, but it has a strong moral worldview, with redemptive elements.