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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Comedy/Drama Director: Hubbel Palmer |
Tracy Orbison, played by Hubbel Palmer, is a severely overweight guy who can’t seem to catch a break in his life is the subject of the
new film “Humble Film.” He has a lame job as a checkout clerk at the local supermarket, he still lives at home with his overly critical
mother, he doesn’t have any real friends to hang out with, is on the never ending quest of trying to pass his driver’s test and wants
nothing more than to be a poet in a middle of nowhere town that has a very little need for poetry since it will never pay the bills in the
end. Tracy doesn’t seem too long for greatness, but he knows he needs to get more out of life than he is currently getting.
Tracy’s moment of revelation happens while he is attending a local theater production starring Truman Hope, a real actor whose
biggest credit is a three episode stint on the television show J.A.G., who also happens to teach an acting class for the locals who want
to try their hand at the craft of acting. With his trusty notebook filled with poetry tucked away in his pocket, Tracy starts to attend the class,
hoping to be able to filter his artistic side into a new creative outlet and to persuade Truman Hope to be his personal mentor. However,
Truman finds himself also becoming a mentor to one of his new teenage coworkers and his group of trouble causing friends, reveling
in the feeling that he is needed and is making a difference in someone’s life. While everything seems to be good on the surface, there
are many inevitable complications that arise from putting too much faith in those who don’t deserve it.
Pulling a double duty in “Humble Pie” is Hubbel Palmer, who not only plays Tracy in the film, but also wrote the screenplay. He easily
conveys all of the feelings that Tracy has with a single look and a handful of words. He lives in the quiet desperation, mainly due to the
fact that there is no one in his life who cares enough to really hear anything that he is saying. This is most evident when he is put in
charge of training a new employee at the supermarket that he works are and is elated to take the young man out to lunch and share all
his wisdom and insights of the world, like how to properly pack groceries in a bag and his large artistic dreams to become an actor in
the future. For the first time in his entire live he sees that he may have an opportunity to make a positive impact on someone’s life,
which is just the first small step in making a positive impact on the world.
As a local actor that has made it to the big time, Truman Hope, played by William Baldwin, is a very inspiring casting choice as for the
fact that he manages to portray an actor who is deluded enough into his own world that he can’t see that he is going nowhere fast.
Viewers of the film can never really tell if he is a has been or a never way, but that certainly doesn’t bother him at all. His small
classroom of local acting students hangs on to every word that he says. Also, when Tracy approaches him with awe and admiration,
viewers are able to see his ego continue to grow throughout the entirety of the film. All he has ever wanted in life is the ability to surprise
people by just being in their presence, and if remaining the big fish in the incredibly small pond is the only way to do that, so that is what
he does to make his dream come true.
Where “Humble Pie” does falter a little bit is that is tends to lack in direction during the last bit of the movie. It sets everything up nicely
with Tracy’s lousy job and his undesirable home life with his very angry mother and odd sister. Then the inevitable downfall when
everyone he though he could trust betrays him is very hard to watch, especially during one moment when his boss tells Tracy that his
big promotion isn’t as big of a deal as he thinks it is. However, the final payoff of the film never really happens. Certain things are set
into motions and some resolutions are found, but for the majority of the film it feels like the last third of the film drops off. Viewers are
left with a very unclear picture of where Tracy is going to go, but there is also a feeling that he has learned some valuable lessons and
knows that there is still some work to be done in order for him to achieve happiness in his life.
In the end, Palmer does a good job with his first venture into screenwriting. His main strength is in his ability to develop characters, as
the performances are what viewers will remember the most after what the movie. The structure of the story has a few issues and
seems to have some trouble finding what the end product should look like. While it isn’t a laugh out loud comedy, nor is it serious
enough to be a drama, and it isn’t crazy enough for an independent film, it has an out of place feeling, which works well with how Tracy
feels through the film. The characters are well drawn out and well cast and the situations they take part in are established well, which is
more than can be said about most Hollywood films. Viewers will want to see the next work by Palmer, but hopefully in a better planned
story and characters.
new film “Humble Film.” He has a lame job as a checkout clerk at the local supermarket, he still lives at home with his overly critical
mother, he doesn’t have any real friends to hang out with, is on the never ending quest of trying to pass his driver’s test and wants
nothing more than to be a poet in a middle of nowhere town that has a very little need for poetry since it will never pay the bills in the
end. Tracy doesn’t seem too long for greatness, but he knows he needs to get more out of life than he is currently getting.
Tracy’s moment of revelation happens while he is attending a local theater production starring Truman Hope, a real actor whose
biggest credit is a three episode stint on the television show J.A.G., who also happens to teach an acting class for the locals who want
to try their hand at the craft of acting. With his trusty notebook filled with poetry tucked away in his pocket, Tracy starts to attend the class,
hoping to be able to filter his artistic side into a new creative outlet and to persuade Truman Hope to be his personal mentor. However,
Truman finds himself also becoming a mentor to one of his new teenage coworkers and his group of trouble causing friends, reveling
in the feeling that he is needed and is making a difference in someone’s life. While everything seems to be good on the surface, there
are many inevitable complications that arise from putting too much faith in those who don’t deserve it.
Pulling a double duty in “Humble Pie” is Hubbel Palmer, who not only plays Tracy in the film, but also wrote the screenplay. He easily
conveys all of the feelings that Tracy has with a single look and a handful of words. He lives in the quiet desperation, mainly due to the
fact that there is no one in his life who cares enough to really hear anything that he is saying. This is most evident when he is put in
charge of training a new employee at the supermarket that he works are and is elated to take the young man out to lunch and share all
his wisdom and insights of the world, like how to properly pack groceries in a bag and his large artistic dreams to become an actor in
the future. For the first time in his entire live he sees that he may have an opportunity to make a positive impact on someone’s life,
which is just the first small step in making a positive impact on the world.
As a local actor that has made it to the big time, Truman Hope, played by William Baldwin, is a very inspiring casting choice as for the
fact that he manages to portray an actor who is deluded enough into his own world that he can’t see that he is going nowhere fast.
Viewers of the film can never really tell if he is a has been or a never way, but that certainly doesn’t bother him at all. His small
classroom of local acting students hangs on to every word that he says. Also, when Tracy approaches him with awe and admiration,
viewers are able to see his ego continue to grow throughout the entirety of the film. All he has ever wanted in life is the ability to surprise
people by just being in their presence, and if remaining the big fish in the incredibly small pond is the only way to do that, so that is what
he does to make his dream come true.
Where “Humble Pie” does falter a little bit is that is tends to lack in direction during the last bit of the movie. It sets everything up nicely
with Tracy’s lousy job and his undesirable home life with his very angry mother and odd sister. Then the inevitable downfall when
everyone he though he could trust betrays him is very hard to watch, especially during one moment when his boss tells Tracy that his
big promotion isn’t as big of a deal as he thinks it is. However, the final payoff of the film never really happens. Certain things are set
into motions and some resolutions are found, but for the majority of the film it feels like the last third of the film drops off. Viewers are
left with a very unclear picture of where Tracy is going to go, but there is also a feeling that he has learned some valuable lessons and
knows that there is still some work to be done in order for him to achieve happiness in his life.
In the end, Palmer does a good job with his first venture into screenwriting. His main strength is in his ability to develop characters, as
the performances are what viewers will remember the most after what the movie. The structure of the story has a few issues and
seems to have some trouble finding what the end product should look like. While it isn’t a laugh out loud comedy, nor is it serious
enough to be a drama, and it isn’t crazy enough for an independent film, it has an out of place feeling, which works well with how Tracy
feels through the film. The characters are well drawn out and well cast and the situations they take part in are established well, which is
more than can be said about most Hollywood films. Viewers will want to see the next work by Palmer, but hopefully in a better planned
story and characters.
