Films Outside the Loop Jeanne Chappé

"Never a lender nor a borrower be..."

This is an alternative Christmas movie for those of you who have seen "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th Street" about a jillion times. It is a total 'frolic' and I'm not sure that I've ever described a movie with that term and I'm not sure that I ever will again!

Ray (Campbell Scott) is a bartender at the Hi-Life Bar. He has loaned money to numerous people over the years and never collected any of it. When his sister, Susan (Moira Kelly), approaches him asking for $900 because she needs an abortion...he has to start calling in his markers. April (Katrin Cartlidge) is a regular at the Hi-Life Bar but she never gets 'sloppy' drunk. Just sort of drunk (in a good way)! Her boyfriend, Simon (Dean Cameron), has recently fled to San Francisco so she tags along with Ray to collect the $900. The people who owe Ray money will certainly buy her drinks. Especially if they don't have the money to pay him back. April lusts after Ray more than she does after vodka.

Maggie (Daryl Hannah) is the woman who dumped Ray and she owes him the most money but he doesn't want it from her because he knows that it will come from her new boyfriend. This gets a bit complicated as Jimmy (Eric Stoltz) is the one who actually needs the money as he owes Fatty (Charles Durning) for a gambling debt. Jimmy is an 'actor' who never acts. At least not for money. Fatty sends Phil (Tegan West) and Clayton (Bruce MacVittie) out to find Jimmy. These two guys are hysterical and work as paramedics during the day (which is scary) when they are not chasing down people who owe gambling debts. Phil and Clayton meet Susan and the three of them take off in search of Jimmy. I see a threesome in the future (on the roof).

Then you get Miner (Peter Riegert) who also works for Fatty and asks his girlfriend's 16-year old son, Ricky (Carlo Alban), to mug him and Jimmy with an unloaded gun. Never trust anyone with a gun that is not loaded!

These are all wonderfully smarmy people! Who is pregnant and who isn't? There is incredibly funky Christmas music playing throughout this movie and I loved what Frankie said: "Don't be such a good girl, it's the holiday...swallow!" Ray thinks jokes are funny but he has no idea that life is. You have to be there.

Be at the Hi-Life Bar at closing time...........last call for alcohol!

Runtime: 1:24

This film is available on DVD, VHS, cable or satellite.

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