Review by Bob Ignizio
By their nature anthology films tend to
be a mixed bag and MADE IN CLEVELAND
is no exception. The film consists of 9 short films (apparently there
are another 2 shorts that may or may not be in the theatrical cut –
they weren't in the screener I watched, though) from 7 directors and
5 writers. Unlike most anthology films, there is no framing sequence
and no shared characters; the only thing the various segments have in
common is that they take place and were shot in Cleveland, Ohio (and
a little bit of Lakewood, too). Some of the segments fail to connect,
but there are several that entertain, and a couple of real gems that
manage to do that and more.
The shorts that worked best for me were
Amy Tankersley Swinderman's “Love of Country” (written by Robert
Mason), a fairly serious film about how a Glenville family deals with
the loss of one of their members in Afghanistan that features local
newscaster and sometime actor Leon Bibb in a strong supporting role;
Robert Banks' “Book of Love” (also from a Mason script) in which
a two young people flirt using the titles of books they find in the
Lakewood public library; and “Domestic Disputes” from director
Sage O'Bryant and screenwriter Eric Swinderman in which a couple of
EMS workers talk about life, love, and movies before going on a call
to treat a husband and wife involved in a domestic dispute who are
more or less regular customers. Opening segment “Fucking Cleveland”
(directed by BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER's
Jamie Babbit, written by Karey Dornetto, and starring TV stars Busy
Phillips and Gillian Jacobs) is solidly entertaining as well,
focusing on two sisters, one of whom is a recovering sex addict. It
also bears noting that the animated title sequence is pretty spiffy.
The rest of the shorts aren't nearly as
good, but the biggest problem with MADE IN CLEVELAND
overall is its lack of cohesion. Most of the shorts are romantic
comedies to one degree or another. That makes “Love and Country”,
as good as it is, seem out of place. And at 2 hours long, it's just
way too much to sit through without anything tying the various bits
together outside of a half-hearted musical montage at the end, which
includes a snippets relating to the two segments not included in my
screening copy. Honestly, I can't imagine trying add any more
material to this already overstuffed film, but I am curious whether
the version that is playing local Atlas theaters is the same one I
saw, or another 20 minutes or so longer. 2 out of 4 stars.
Thank you for mentioning the writers as well as the directors!
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