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62%
Overall Rating
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Ranked #9,545
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At nearly 400 pounds, Tracy Orbison is a wide target. When he sets out to pursue his dream of acting, the grocery clerk finds an assortment of people waiting to dash his dreams. Through it all, Tracy remains irrepressibly upbeat, convinced he's destined for something big.
--TMDb
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The winner of the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature at the 2007 Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, "American Fork" is absolutely a crowd pleaser. It's one of those films that introduces you to a character and then spends the rest of the film making you fall in love with that character. And in the scheme of things, that is a brilliant idea, if you can find an actor to pull it off. Luckily, for director Chris Bowman, that actor has been found in Hubbel Palmer, who also wrote the script for the film and stars as Tracy Orbison, the considerably obese protagonist of one of the quirkiest and sweetest films of the year, when it's not being vicious and brutally honest. "American Fork" is one of those films that is sure to get discovered, sooner or later. If "Napoleon Dynamite" can finds its place in the mainstream, so can "American Fork", a far superior film.
The whole of the film is about Tracy. He works at a grocery store, where he has worked for eleven years. His boss, Mr. Grigoratus (Bruce McGill) likes Tracy and is always trying to motivate him, even making him assistant manager at one point. Tracy's home life is totally insane. His mother (Kathleen Quinlan) is somewhat of a religious zealot and she is constantly on his case about how large he is and how much he eats. His sister, Peggy (Mary Lynn Rajskub), collects stuffed animals and names them all and seems to be Tracy's best friend. Early in the film, Tracy goes to see a show starring an actor named Truman Hope (William Baldwin). Tracy then signs up to take acting classes with him and discovers he really enjoys it, until Truman betrays his trust, which then sends Tracy to befriend a group of younger kids (Vincent Caso, Nick Lashaway), who are really just using him to help them commit a crime. Towards the end of the film, Tracy is accused of something that he didn't do and has to deal with the impact that has on his life. The film is, essentially, about a lonely and confused guy who is so nice to people, but rarely gets that niceness in return.
The writing from Hubbel Palmer is pitch perfect. As someone who is obese, Hubbel Palmer knows from personal experience how large people are treated in this country, and he brings that experience to this film, as when his boss tells Tracy that he wants to set him up on a date and then scribbles a little note on a piece of paper reminding himself to ask his daughter if she has any 'fat' friends. But, what makes Tracy such a likable character is his humanity. He is a genuinely good person who just wants people to like him. He's shy and introspective, but he's also outgoing when he needs to be, as when he befriends the younger kids and really takes an active interest in helping them and being their friend. The audience can tell that something bad is going to happen, but Tracy's character is so naive to it because it's really like he's reliving his high school experience all over again. And, when Tracy is writing in his journal, you get the sense that he's one of those lost souls stuck in a small town who can never get out because he's too cemented in his own normalcy. Those are the things that make you empathize with Tracy Orbison. He becomes a friend.
In the lead role and carrying the entire film, Hubbel Palmer is amazing. It is rare when a person of size is given a lead role in a film like this and he makes it his own. Everything about Tracy is well played, and he especially has a very nice scene at the table with his mother which also shows off his dramatic range, in addition to his comedic abilities. William Baldwin is hysterical as Truman Hope, the shady actor who uses women until he is through with them, that is until he meets Peggy and falls for her. Baldwin hasn't been this good in years, and I am glad to continue to see him pop up in these low budget indie flicks. He is really jump starting his career all over again. In another fine role as Tracy's mother, Kathleen Quinlan is so funny and so sad, especially when she has her confession with Tracy at the end of the film. Their dynamic is one of the most interesting in the film and this film just reminds me of why I love Kathleen Quinlan so much in the first place. And, Mary Lynn Rajskub is so odd and so perfect as Peggy. The scene between she and Truman in the bedroom is one of the stand out scenes in the film. In addition, when is Bruce McGill not great?
You just can't help but love "American Fork". Besides the writing, Chris Bowman's direction is as impressive, especially how he deals with Tracy's binge eating whenever he is stressed out. There is also this perfectly edited, hilarious "To Sir With Love" sequence where Tracy is hanging out with the younger kids - this scene is just so pitch perfect, I can't wait to see it again. "American Fork" is a film that needs a chance and needs distribution. It deserves to be seen in a theatre near you and it deserves to bring more attention to the very talented Hubbel Palmer, whom I first saw last year in the film "The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang". This film won over the audience easily, and I think it will win you over as well. Depending on how the rest of the year goes, don't be surprised to see this film sneak its way into my favorite films from the year. It's just that good.
10/10.
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