In this day and age, it's becoming very difficult to remember way back (10 years ago?) when technology and all of the connectivity and answers it provides weren't literally at our fingertips. It's even harder to imagine further back to a time when even television wasn't the main way people obtained information. In the early 20th century, people either read the newspaper, watched news reels at the cinema to see current events, or they could listen to the nightly radio broadcast for the most immediate news. There was no instant fact checking or google searches to look for similar stories on different outlets. Imagine then, how it must have felt in 1938 when people across the nation tuned in to hear news of a Martian invasion on Orson Welle's now-infamous WAR OF THE WORLDS broadcast. Obviously, there were those who were in on the joke and enjoyed an evening of vivid entertainment, however there were many reports of people in rural communities who believed what they were listening to was an actual eye witness report of an alien invasion. In the film BRAVE NEW JERSEY, writer/director Jody Lambert sets his sweet story of true love and emotional awakenings in the context of that notorious event.
The film takes place in the sleepy little town of Lullaby, New Jersey where the Main Street is still unpaved, the old cronies play checkers in the general store, and the kids attend school in a one room schoolhouse. Clark, the amiable and somewhat ineffective mayor, is busy readying the town for a huge celebration heralding a new-fangled cow milking apparatus developed by the town tycoon, Paul. Paul's obvious egotism starkly contrasts the gentle good nature of his wife Lorraine, who is secretly coveted by the bachelor mayor. A separate storyline follows local school teacher Peg and her persistent fiancé Chardy who may or may not imagine the same version of happily ever after. Two other subplots- one with the local pastor attempting to comfort his alarmed parishioners and another side story from the kid's point of view- round out the ambitious ensemble period piece. When the news of the supposed attack is broadcast throughout the town, each group of townsfolk reacts in a sometimes surprising manner that turns the typically idyllic community on its head and forces everyone to ask themselves the hard questions.
Though the story is so multifaceted, Lambert does a solid job of reigning in the various narratives, saving the film from being too convoluted. Each story is fairly independent, and there's no big tie-in of all the narratives, but the pacing of the film is just right, creating a satisfying balance between each storyline.
Lambert also does splendid work maintaining the Rockwell-like feel of the town, even when a call to arms throws the community in disarray.
Tony Hale (VEEP, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT) as the sweet but slack-spined mayor turns in an endearing performance as the lovelorn leader. Though he always maintains the guileless nature of his character, a real transformation is evident as Clark is faced with the sudden turn of events.
Heather Burns ' portrayal of the ignored housewife Lorraine is full of terrific nuance that harnesses her character's conflict between following tradition or following her heart.
As school teacher Peg, Anna Camp perfectly embues her character with true grit as she rolls up her sleeves and transforms into the modern woman she yearns to be instead of the future homemaker her fiancé expects of her.
BRAVE NEW JERSEY is a charming character-driven, feel good film. Though not every storyline is tied up with a pretty bow by the end, the film gets a wee bit too cheesy at some points. While I know that this is the very thing a mainstream audience eats up, I found myself cringing rather than cooing once or twice. A great performance from Dan Bakkedahl as the less-than-perfect pastor saves the church side story from total melodrama, and a tryst with Peg and one of the blue collar men from the community felt somewhat unnecessary. Despite these hiccups, there is definitely too much good in the film to allow a bit of mush to invalidate the whole thing, and I found the overall film to be a delight. There's no word on distribution for the indie yet, but I have no doubt that this winner will find its way to a screen near you. I encourage you to check out BRAVE NEW JERSEY and enjoy some feel good nostalgic fun.
Rebecca Elliott
aka Annette Kellerman
