Anson’s ‘Paul McCartney’ wins Mockfest

Beatles music legend Paul McCartney appeared with newscaster-turned-documentary star Ruth Anson in acclaimed feature “Desperately Seeking Paul McCartney” at Hollywood’s Vine Theater on May 18th for the Mockfest’s closing night screening.

Well, kind of. Let me explain. In 1965 Ruth Anson was a teenage reporter for KABC-TV here in the City of Angels. So when the Fab Four came to town, she got to interview them.

Their Magic Moment

As the press conference ends, sweet, young Ruth adventures forward and gets a very brief moment with Sir Paul. She asks him if he has plans to marry. He responds with a groupie-oriented, flirty “Only if you’ll marry me”.

This cute moment ignited a forty-year flame inside of Ruth. Now present-day, she’s married, with a career change as a professor and a seemingly very normal life. However, this movie documents a downward spiral as she nearly ruins all of it.

My Date With…

“Desperately Seeking Paul McCartney” has a lot in common with 2004 film festival darling “My Date with Drew”, which follows regular guy Brian Herzlinger on his 30-day journey to meet child-hood crush and movie star Drew Barrymore. It’s a sweet valentine with its heart in the right place.

It includes many cameos and interviews, including Corey Feldman and screenwriter John August, both of whom have worked with Ms. Barrymore. In each case and segment, Herzlinger comes across as sane (if not incredibly, overly-optimistic) and good-spirited.

Bittersweet Valentine

You’d expect the same from “Desperately Seeking Paul McCartney”. But it turns away from its original concept and becomes something far different. The movie starts out sweet and swift. Its intentions are good. In many ways, it’s a woman’s journey to re-connect with her youth. But around one-third in, it takes an unexpected, dark turn. Ruth transforms from a sweet woman following a whim, to a somewhat delusional dare-I-say-stalker, with her jittery sights still on the shy Beatle. Or at least that’s how it’s edited….more on that later. Regardless, things only get even darker from here.

One of the biggest reasons for the sour notes comes from director/producer Marc Cushman. Somewhat known as a writer for Star Trek: TNG and Diagnosis:Murder, he transitions from a mild-mannered seminar (pitchfest) guest, to a Colonel Parker of sorts, pressuring her to react with behavior to live up to his financial investment. After all, he wants to sell the movie. The problem is, as he says this several times bluntly in the piece, in their original storyline, they have nowhere to go. Their leads have dried up, no help is coming in, and he needs to find a way to make this project work. Create or add drama, create or add tension. In other words, make something out of nothing. And he does, with the editing.

In the last thirty minutes of the movie he evolves (or possibly devolves) into an almost-evil, Machivellian manipulator. Cushman hires and fires assistants, and concocts several somewhat fictional situations in order to bring Ruth to tears. Cushman drags Ruth through therapy sessions, a twisted intervention, an awkward meeting with a “Paul” impersonator from a Beatles cover band and a ridiculous ‘Queer Eye’-ripoff make-over session.

And in some ways, even worse, he demonstrates that he has little to no connections or influence in a town where he proclaims to be an industry insider. Can’t get names, number or invites to where he wants to be. And when he decides the production needs to sneak into the Grammy’s, he cowers in the car waiting while the others risk arrest.

Gray Area

The production notes hint that each character is playing a heightened version of themselves. It’s a tight-wire act to be sure. Cushman allows his maniacal behavior to be taped and in the movie. You’d have to assume that many of the meetings, conversations and scheming he does is normal suit for a reality TV producer.

Crew members Ryan James, Shay Burbridge and Kathryn Farren are too attractive to be production helpers making you wonder whether they were hired or cast.

The ending is a lesson to be learned. The promotional items suggest a surprise appearance at the end. And there’s two surprises. One is obviously someone’s appearance, but what’s more surprisingly is who the appearance is. It tricks the audience and leaves for a tremendous sigh. More than anything else, you feel horrible for Ruth. It makes you want to re-wind and watch the first twenty minutes again. You want to remember Ruth as the sweet, idealistic, starry-eyed girl.

Success

The film played well to its audience, illiciting awww’s and cheers early on.  But certainly the biggest testimony to its overall success happened later in the evening during the awards ceremony.  “Deperately Seeking Paul McCartney” won the Mockfest Audience award.