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Documentarian: "So, why Johnny Depp?" Tom Hanson: "... we have so much in common. He's from the South, I'm from the South. He's got some Indian in him; I've got some in me. He's a musician; I was in a band in junior high. He's got tattoos – check it out, I go down to Hollywood and Highland and get these really cool, like, fake tattoos..." So begins a look into the life of Tom Hanson, a young man from So Cal, by way of Dixie, who was toiling in a Subway restaurant when the divine intervened: a man pointed out his striking resemblance to one, Johnny Depp. Whether the tribulations of a triangle player, or a peek into the glory of a chain-smoking figure skater, I'm a sucker for mockumentaries. Trouble is, they're generally disappointing. Worse than disappointing. Pseudo-documentaries based on contrived situations are often brimming with inherent meanness – as if the creators of such lackluster efforts watched Solodnz's "Non-Fiction" bit of STORYTELLING, doused the lesson in acid, and walked away with what they, erroneously, fancied a good idea: draw up an intriguing character, and then cut it to pieces, for all to see. Due to the above, the category of Mocumentary seems to be veering into two distinct slices: The Christopher Guest groupings, and All the Rest. Though there aren't any pairings of left feet, foolhardy rockers or flutes to be found in THE ESSENCE OF DEPP the film easily, and refreshingly so, tramples All the Rest underfoot, as it clambers onto the backs of its peers, and hikes itself up into BEST IN SHOW territory. In many ways, it impressed me even more than SHOW (considering the collective, veteran, comic minds that went into SHOW). The mythos of ESSENCE lies in the creation of ASSimilators – not actors, not lowly look-alikes – devoted souls who are able to channel more than just the persona, or aesthetics of a celebrity. Tom Hanson explains, it's an art. "It takes a special kind of a skill to become another person. The difference between an ASSimilar (and an impersonator) is, we just don't pattern ourselves after someone else, we actually become the being of that person. Or, as I like to say, The Essence." A world of wax museum openings and, in the case of Richard Grieco's, 21 JUMP STREET-era ASSimilator, Booker, even the Scandinavian Peninsula potentially lie at the feet of those who fully shoulder a celebrity essence. This chosen path, we discover, is not without its mishaps. Cancelled shows, scandals, poor film choices, cough syrup addictions – at any moment, a celebrity could unwittingly pull the rug from under their doting doppelganger. "When their star is falling -- your star is falling." The talent contained within ESSENCE is astounding; even moreso, when the nuts and bolts behind the production are examined. From the first frame, Stacey Souther as Tom Hanson delivers a could-be Depp often so spot-on, it's stunningly eerie. Souther effortlessly captures Hanson's well-meaning, yet bizarrely inspired, innocent nature. Writer/Director Susanne Robbins's turn as the documentarian paints a perfect portrait of a genuinely intrigued onlooker with cameraman in tow. It is this verisimilitude of unbiased curiosity which sets the tone for the film – these ASSimilators are likeable people. A step apart from the orchestrated trailer trash and kooky oddballs which normally populate a mockumentary, ESSENCE is able to navigate its quirky subjects without glowering meanness; presenting characters as amiable people, who decided to do something very strange with their lives. Jaunting through the ASSimilator Academy, headed by a tussin-addicted version of Robert Downey Jr., to the apartment of Ray and Grace, shows cancelled and spirits low, with a pit stop to answer that age old question, "What would happen if Johnny Depp, Booker and a drunken Robert Downey Jr annoyed John Enos in a bar?" – THE ESSENCE OF DEPP is a genuinely hilarious ride. The tale plays out with a relaxed, slice-of-life feel, allowing both subtle and in-the-moment hilarity to shine through. One has to wonder how did they get all these people? Unknowns oozing talent the way big Hollywood oozes editing room creations of performances, without an obvious "director's brother" or "guy we had to give a part to in exchange for desperately needed cheese sandwiches" in the bunch. All the way down to Gil, the flaming receptionist, every participant seemed to throw themselves in with abandon. The cherry on top is Clayton Rohner, who brings to life Dick Rico, "undermedicated ASSimilar agent." Even when in the confines of a small room, Rohner deliciously serves up his patented blend of from the gut, eternally maligned everyman. About those nuts and bolts: If Robbins, Souther and team could manage all of this on an abysmal $2,000 budget, I eagerly await their product once ESSENCE takes the indie film circuit by storm. email this review to a friend
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Feb 6, 2008 11:29 PM
To find out more about the fine film, THE ESSENCE OF DEPP, visit:
http://www.myspace.com/essenceofdepp
Mr. Souther was gracious enough to hook me up with a screener, as a result of the appreciation column I did on Clayton Rohner ("The Orange Volvo Ride to Happiness").