Jack Goes Boating

Philip Seymour Hoffman makes a solid debut behind the camera with this adaptation of Robert Glaudini’s play, a suitably thespian-friendly piece for one of the best actors of his generation. Hoffman takes the role of Jack, a sad-sack chauffeur struggling to engage with the world at large and in particular with Connie (Amy Ryan), the similarly introverted object of his affections. Inviting Connie for a boating trip and homemade dinner, Jack must first learn how to swim and cook with the aid of chums Clyde (John Ortiz) and Lucy (Daphne Rubin-Vega), a married couple whose own relationship is in rough waters.

Hoffman's restrained, thoughtful film, with a quirkiness that remains just the right side of irritating, sits awkwardly betwixt humour and pathos. The performances are excellent and Jack’s emotional development through accruing confidence in practical skills acutely observed, but some character traits seem forced and unnecessary, causing a disconnect where one wants to be fully enveloped. Interesting and amusing, if ultimately uninvolving. [Chris Fyvie]