Jeffrey Blitz
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Filmography
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Harold and Maude (1971)
Directed by Hal Ashby
influenced Rocket Science (2007)
Themes Characters Visuals
Crafted along the lines of Harold and Maude and Welcome to the Dollhouse, his quirky drama is populated with angst ridden high school students who suffer through obsessions and strive to make their way in this crazy world.
Perhaps there is no better actor to express such quiet frustration as Thompson, who plays Hal with a particular melancholy that suggests he would've made an excellent stand-in for Harold and Maude star Bud Cort during the 1970s.
Blitz wants the film to be like 70s auteur Hal Ashby (whose first name was borrowed for his hero) by way of “Harold And Maude” and “Being There,” but the whole thing comes off like Wes Anderson-lite without that director’s colorful and painterly mise-en-scene.
The script feels reminiscent of any number of millennial adolescent dramedies; think of films like Jeffrey Blitz’s Rocket Science – to pull one randomly from the corners of memory – that matter most to those who saw them at just the right age.
Hooper's feel-good storytelling recalls Jeffrey Blitz's "Rocket Science," which revolved around a stutterer engaged in high school debate competitions, but the sunny vibes seem out of place in the context of British royalty.