I'M REED FISH

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: sensuality, language

Rated:

Mud Meadows is a small town where everyone knows everyone else's business, where the local town critic calls in to the morning radio show complain about everything from pot holes to a neighbor's horses being out. This is the world in which small-time Reed Fish (Jay Baruchel) has grown up. Having taken of his dad's job as the news anchor for the local radio/television station, he doesn't envision anything bigger for his life than a plate of corn on the cob and his marriage to local town sweetheart, Kate Peterson (Alexis Bledel).

Then returns a ghost from his past, a girl he used to adore but who moved away to get on with her life at college, in the hopes of bigger and better achievements than tractor pulls. Jill (Schuyler Fisk) is outgoing and a hit with all the guys, not much different from when he saw her last, and much to Reed's frustration, he finds that same old spark is, well, sparkin' as he tries to juggle his job and fiancée, while fighting feelings for Jill. Everything about the impending wedding has him on edge, to such an extent that he and Kate are fighting about the most mundane details, such as whether or not to serve asparagus at the wedding dinner. When his problems become even more complicated after an impromptu kiss with Jill outside the bowling alley, Reed must decide to take charge of his life and make everything better with the two women he loves.

Because this was a low-profile Indie production, I had never even heard of it before it popped up on my recommended list at Netflix. I was surprised to find that for the most part, it's a feel good little movie about a fairly simple guy with an ordinary life. There's a charm to the small town where the mayor also runs the radio station, and dead air makes people think their radio's busted. If I had one complaint, it's that the film is a bit misleading for the first half, when midway through you discover that you are in fact at a screening of a movie directed by Reed Fish about his life. This helps the ending tie in to the story, but it can be a bit confusing the first time through. 

The story was very well cast and quite funny in its moments of small town moments. Baruchel is quite talented at being both sweetly sincere and absolutely clueless, but it's Fisk that shines as Jill, a free spirit so charismatic the audience cannot help but fall in love with her, despite their empathy for Bledel's serious-minded Kate. My favorite scenes were actually those on the morning show, when Reed dashes in to give the early announcements and grants occasional interviews to townsfolk, but the ending was extremely sweet. That being said, it's not a purely clean movie, if somewhat less problematic than other teen romantic comedies in the same genre. Language is not a problem for awhile, but toward the end there are several harsh abuses of deity, and a scattered amount of insults and mild profanities.

Sexual content is not explicit, but it's implied that Kate and Reed spend the night together after making up over a fight. Passionate kissing leads to them tossing clothes off screen and then wandering out of the camera range. Kate's father starts in on a serious talk with Reed about being gentle with Kate on their wedding night, because she's a virgin. He then bursts out laughing, since he knows she's hardly a virgin. Reed is encouraged to smoke Cuban cigars with his future dad in law, and is shown drinking on a couple of occasions. It's not a fabulous movie that is a must-see, but it was very sweet and did manage to be entertaining without being too preachy. It did get across its message that young people should take control of their lives, own up to their mistakes, and decide who they want to be. One thing I appreciated is that Reed was completely honest with Kate about kissing Jill, even when it lead to a temporary breakup. He's hardly a faultless hero, but more likable than most.