Harry Connick Jr. is perfectly cast in this quirky little rom-com.
I’ve no idea what prompted writer/director Stelana Kliris to seek him, but we can be grateful that he accepted the role; it’s right in his wheelhouse.
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| When Captain Manoli (Tony Demetriou, center) takes John (Harry Connick Jr.) out for a night on the town, he has no idea that his good friend Sia (Agni Scott) will turn out to be his guest's long-ago lover. |
Cinematographer Stephan Metzner also has much to do with this film’s dreamy appearance; establishing vistas are dazzling, and his camera placement in the town’s narrow streets augments the sense of quaint coziness. The way he frames one nighttime shot of the two primary characters, standing in front of trees adorned with strings of white lights, is particularly enchanting.
Once-famous rock star John Allman (Connick), dismayed by the abysmal failure of his most recent album, has fled to Cyprus, the most remote spot he can think of (not an entirely random choice, as we soon learn). He purchased a charming cliffside house, sight unseen, from a Realtor who gave him “a really good deal.” (Too good to be true, as it turns out.)
Having barely arrived, John wakens one morning to find a young man on his property, poised at the edge of the cliff. An exasperated John ill-advisedly bellows, “This is my property ... go away!” At which point, the fellow steps off the edge, to his death.
John’s stunned expression, backed by an offbeat passage in Carlos José Alvarez’s lyrical score, makes this event darkly humorous, rather than tasteless; credit also goes to the delicacy of Kliris’ directorial touch.
(Suicide and romantic comedies aren’t mutually exclusive. I was immediately reminded of 1969’s Cactus Flower, which begins as Goldie Hawn’s character attempts to kill herself. Unsuccessfully, but still...)
The local head of police, Captain Manoli (Tony Demetriou), reveals to a horrified John that his new home faces a “suicide hot spot” that has long attracted despairing locals and people from various parts of the world.
(As revealed in this film’s production notes, Kliris got her idea after reading about a place in Watson’s Bay, Australia — The Gap — a suicide hot spot where retired WWII Royal Australian Navy veteran Don Ritchie, who lived nearby, had saved 180 people from jumping between 1964 and 2009; he quietly approached them, asked if he could help, and invited them to his home for a cup of tea.
(Kliris thought, What if a grumpy misanthrope lived in a place like that?)
John — definitely grumpy, but not quite a misanthrope — is understandably shaken. He nonetheless attempts to move on, but this proves difficult, since he doesn’t speak Greek. His efforts to buy provisions involves the first of this story’s numerous supporting characters: store owner Koula (Lea Maleni), who tut-tuts his processed choices, and instead fills a bag with her own healthier and tastier replacements.
He then arranges for ongoing home delivery, despite Koula’s mocking look. (“You sick?”) But she finally agrees, with deliveries to be made by her niece, Melina (Ali Fumiko Whitney).
The latter also has an ongoing gig as a singer at a local restaurant, and she’s clearly quite talented. When she inevitably learns of John’s background, she wants to know all about “the music scene.”
Manoli, wanting to share his community’s positive vibe with John, takes him out for a fun evening at the local taverna. And — surprise, surprise — John unexpectedly encounters Sia (Agni Scott), “the best doctor in town” ... who happens to be his long-ago lover, back before his career took off. And Sia happens to be Koula’s sister.
Worse yet, John’s subsequent efforts to maintain a low profile are thwarted constantly by people — even in this quiet community — who immediately recognize him for his world-famous hit song, “Girl on the Beach.” Add his hapless ongoing effort to build a fence in front of his house, hoping to prevent further suicide attempts — John is hilariously inept, at this endeavor — and Kliris has supplied all the ingredients for a rom-com just as sumptuous as the varied Greek foods constantly on display.
Her film’s droll tone notwithstanding, Kliris focuses on a long-recognized truth about human nature: The best way to feel better about one’s self, is to help somebody else.
Connick nails his part; he obviously knows the territory (although he hardly qualifies as an over-the-hill burn-out). His scruffy appearance is just right: not totally slovenly, but clearly in need of kick-in-the-pants improvement. His frequently bemused expressions also are just right for the increasing barrage of gentle demands and “coincidences” that begin to dictate his life.
Scott’s Sia is radiant: intelligent, kind and more than a little wary. She and John fell apart for a good reason, years earlier, and (of course!) those details eventually emerge. Scott and Maleni also have a lot of fun as squabbling sisters who nonetheless adore each other.
Whitney makes Melina feisty, bold and free-spirited. But she’s frustrated by the limitations of her environment; the dream of greater success as a singer seems forever beyond her grasp. Whitney also is endearingly earthy and sexy ... but, let it be said, she doesn’t come close to a Greek accent. (Kliris attempts to explain this away with a line of dialogue, which savvy viewers will greet with a scoff and raised eyebrows.)
Aggeliki Filippidou is a hoot as Melina’s ancient grandmother: a hazard to traffic, when slowly crossing a street, but also an all-knowing dispenser of wisdom, at key moments.
Clarence Smith makes the most of his brief appearances as Jimmy, John’s worried manager, who insists that a return to stardom is only one new hit away. And — wouldn’t you know it — John has been struggling with a still-unfinished song. (You won’t be surprised by its eventual title.)
Although Kliris uncorks a few twists when her story moves into its third act, the various outcomes are wholly predictable. But that destination isn’t terribly important, when the journey is so charming. Cynics are advised to steer clear, but viewers with a soft spot for romantic whimsy will feel right at home.
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