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REVIEWS
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Writer's focus on characters sets local film apart
By Rich Copley - HERALD-LEADER CULTURE CRITIC - July 21, 2005
Local movie premieres have become fairly routine at the Kentucky Theatre. But tonight's debut of writer-director Russell Johnson's 12 Steps Nowhere represents a turn in content and quality.
While a lot of locally shot material seems to have Night of the Living Dead aspirations, they frequently have the resources only for Plan 9 From Outer Space products. We don't want to dis ambition, but-Johnson's aim seems to be to tell an engaging, provocative story focused on performances.
This story is of Christian, played by co-producer David Cottingham, whose life is falling apart because of serial philandering and an appetite for porn. A psychiatrist tells him he has to get on a 12-step program to shake his addiction and get his fiancee back.
He reluctantly goes along and seems to be doing well until he needs to make amends with women he's hurt. His former conquests go from understanding to hostilely unforgiving. A jogger who deposits the contents of her water bottle on Christian's trouble spot is one of the movie's numerous fine performances.
Mind you, it's not Oscar-level acting, but it's-pretty good overall and serves the story. One of the movie's weaknesses is a lack of clarity about what Johnson is trying to do with this tale. Is it to raise awareness of sexual addiction, question its validity as an illness or just tell a story?
Those questions aside, 12 Steps demonstrates that a straightforward drama can make for effective,-compelling local filmmaking, competitive with the film work of others across the country.
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