Newport Beach Film Festival 2009

**** - Time Out NY (Four stars) The "27 club" of the film's title refers to the list of musicians who have died at age 27, including Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain. To that illustrious roster this story adds the fictional Tom Wallace (James Forgey, evoking Pete Wentz), who has OD’ed his way to that great greenroom in the sky days after his notable birthday. Left behind is Wallace's best friend/adopted brother/bandmate, Eliot Kerrigan (Joe Anderson of Across the Universe, rocking greasy hair and red-rimmed eyes), accompanied only by his old-school convertible and enough prescription drugs to fuel Rush Limbaugh through three election cycles. Eliot’s subsequent cross-country road trip hits all the required tropes: lonely desert highways, retro bars, seedy motels, quirky companions. What saves the flick from its conventionality is the singular consistency of Eliot's sadness (and, okay, some very pretty landscapes). Nor does the movie lack for complexity; Anderson’s mournful portrayal of a musician who has put all his emotional eggs in one drug-addicted basket evokes shades of guilt, anger and regret. But it's the power of Eliot’s unwavering grief that consistently forces its way through the movie's clichés, smacking the audience with an unadulterated emotional wallop. —Allison Williams, Seek writer---------------- User reviews of this film-------------------- NICK said... Posted on Mar 24 2009 19:51 THIS MOVIE IS SICK! It has a real feel to it...unlike most of the stuff that comes out these days. It blended entrainment with a real feel-able story-line!---------------------- NICOLE said... Posted on May 12 2008 14:14 The 27 club was the best movie I've seen in a long time! I laughed, cried, and enjoyed every single moment. It should definitely be released to theaters so everyone can experience how great it is. Awesome movie.------------------------- KELLY said... Posted on May 12 2008 14:12 The 27 Club was one of the most brilliant movies I've ever seen. Joe Anderson and the rest of the cast did a superb job acting. Very emotional and a great story. I really hope it's released to theaters nationwide so I can see it again! Once is most definitely not enough!-------------------- ELLEN said... Posted on May 12 2008 13:25 AMAZING MOVIE! the cast was superb and it was way above and beyond my expectations.