Switch The Flick

In high school I worked in a movie theater. Ever since I have been in love with the cinema world and the quirky people that continue to have affection for it.

Technology continues to change and movie enthusiasts have trouble with that. From screener bootlegs to projection modifications, one wonders if Hollywood blockbusters will crash and burn one day.

This seems ripe for storylines, much like the recent Tower Records documentary. Sadly, for me and much of the audience who fell asleep or left early at the premiere, Steppenwolf's The Flick is a stinker.

The story of a 35 mm movie house should have been right up my alley. The set was perfect with the audience positioned direction in from the theater seats for a perfect behind the scenes view. The projector lights up and the lights come down, then it drones on and on. Liberties are taken with the material where long pauses are drawn out trying to signify real life. What is an over three hour show feels like at least four hours long.

There are some nice performances from Caroline Neff who plays projectionist Rose and Danny McCarthy who plays Sam the trainer. Travis Turner's turn as Avery, the new kid on the block, did not work for me. His choice to make blinky Avery unlikeable didn't work at all to hold the Puliter Prize piece together. His slow call with a therapist about suicide made me want to jump off a cliff.

The Flick could be tightened up and some of the story has some redemptive moments but by the end it was too late for many of us. If you have more time on your hands for lengthy theater head over to the Goodman for a new five hour show called 2666.

The Flick plays at Steppenwolf's Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., now through May 8. Ticket information is at steppenwolf.org or by calling 312-335-1650.