THE MARC PEASE EXPERIENCE

US, 2009, 84 minutes, Colour.
Jason Schwartzman, Ben Stiller, Anna Kendrick.
Directed by Todd Louiso.

The Marc Pease Experience is an oddball experience. The film opens in high school where Marc Pease, Jason Schwartzman, is the Tin Man in the stage performance of The Wiz. His director is a member of the school staff, John Gribble, Ben Stiller. However, Marc warns his mentor that he will break down on stage but his teacher forces him to go on. He does break down weeping and runs away. He is encouraged for his future by the teacher promising that he will produce his demo record with his a cappella group from school.

The film moves forward eight years, Marc is in a relationship with a schoolgirl, Meg, who is also entangled with the teacher. She is full of self-doubt, writes very personalised and angry material for her writing class and is in doubt about her voice and her capacity for singing. In the meantime, Marc is selling his condominium to pay for his demo, is gathering his group together – though many of them are pulling out.

The film shows the interactions between Marc, the teacher, Meg and the group. They perform for a home group, but Marc breaks down again.

The final confrontation, and literal physical fight, is between Marc and the teacher during the current performance of The Wiz. Both tell home truths to each other – and it seems that each is a different aspect of the other, neither having really grown up or left school. The climax is an injury to the actor playing the Wiz and Marc taking over and performing very confidently. There is an epilogue, a year later, he has his own show, piano-playing and singing in New York.

The film was a star vehicle for Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore, Marie Antoinette). He has to sing, dance, emote – he is an unlikely hero for a film. Ben Stiller is very good as the self-absorbed and immature teacher. Anna Kendrick was on the way up in her career (Up in the Air, Fifty Fifty) at this stage. Todd Louiso has directed a number of films, especially Love Liza, with Philip Seymour Hoffman, based on a play by his brother, Gordy Hoffman.

A film that will probably divide its audiences.

1. The impact of the film? A plausible story? Character study? The emphasis on music?

2. The small town atmosphere, the school, the classrooms, corridors, the theatre? Homes? A realistic setting for a rather surreal story?

3. The contribution of the music? The a cappella singing? The performance of The Wiz?

4. The production of The Wiz, music, staging, colour and costumes? The enthusiasm of Jon Gribble? The rehearsals, the pep talks? The notes, the interactions with the cast? The symbolism of the Wiz – Jon Gribble as the wizard, his false credentials? Marc as the Tin Man?

5. The character of Marc, seeing him as a school student, in the costume for the Tin Man, his plea not to go on, performance, weeping, the escape? The effect on his life? His formation of the a cappella group? His friends? Their performances? Gerry, Gavin and Tracey? Their loyalty to him? His selling his condominium? To pay for the record? His relationship with Meg, driving to school? His hanging around the school? His belief that Jon Gribble would finance the record? Texting him? No answer? The performance for the women? The quality of the singing? His breaking down with the Tin Man song? The group breaking up? His going to the school, the confrontation with Jon Gribble? The fight, the telling the truth to each other? Their not growing up? The actor and his injury, Marc donning the clothes, the strong performance as the wizard, the acclaim? His interactions with Meg, breaking with her, telling her the truth? A year later and his success in New York?

6. Jon, at school, the teacher, love for the theatre? His forcing the students to go on? His support of Marc – and his later saying he just did it as a teacher would? Not meaning it? Telling Marc that he had remained as a schoolboy? The truth about his own presence in the school and his life? The physical fight?

7. Meg, at school, her relationship with Marc, travelling to school, her lack of self-confidence, the writing class, in The Wiz, her singing, Jon’s support? Her relationship with him, the tape? Marc confronting Jon with the tape? Her self-assertion to the teacher from the writing class?

8. The characters of the a cappella group, their earnestness, capacity for singing, support of Marc? Their disappointment at the collapse of the record? Tracey and her support of Marc at the end of The Wiz?

9. An eccentric entertainment, capitalising on the talent of its stars?