by M D Caprario (Source)
November 12, 2006
director Craig Serling and writing partner Nicole Lonner got an idea for a film. That film,
"Jam," made its Los Angeles debut recently at the Hollywood Film Festival, screened at
the Arclight Theater.
"Jam" presents stories of revelation and personal growth that come after a traffic accident
on a sweltering hot day. With their cars "jammed" along a rural two-lane road for severalhours, the characters are forced to confront and come to terms with issues that have beenbubbing within them for a long time.
A father and son negotiate their tumultuous history together, a heterosexual couple
deals with the husband's obsession with having a child and the wife's reticence to bring
anything else into their already over-committed lives, a divorced father examines his
feeilngs about being a parent and an ex-husband, a bride-to-be fully examines her longing
to nab a husband who will be a good father- even if he might only be a so-so husband, and a
lesbian couple must defend their ability- and right- to be both a mother and a "father."
His seesaw of emotions while trying to communicate with his son during a time that could
be his last opportunity is believable and touching. Elegant Marianne Jean-Baptiste
("Secrets and Lies") shines as she intervenes between Forsythe's character and his son.
Jean-Baptiste as a thoughtful, feminine "Yoda" is brilliant; the gentle nature of both
character and actor is solid and well-appreciated in this story.
and love interest on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy"- surprises as a tender, wonderfully flawed
father who loves his kids, but fumbles to do whatever seems best for them. The actor has an
amazing following; one loyal fan, Jennifer Stoll, drove all the way from the Bay Area just
for this screening. (Stoll manages a fan web site: www.jeffreydeanmorganfans.com.)
to get his wife warmed to the idea of having a child- even risking running out of gasoline
in order to keep the AC going to keep her cool.
Amanda Foreman ("Happy Endings") endears as the young bride who, once stuck in
a car with her two bridal attendants, begins to question whether her plan of marriage and
parenthood is all that great.
Strong performance by Alex Rocco as a successful long-time married man, who sets an
example for the younger, divorced dad.
The origin of "Jam" is a great industry story. The idea was first presented to the public in
2003 as a short. The short had such a successful run when screened at various film
festivals that actors flocked to Serling asking to take part in his vision for the full-length
film. The feature was shot in an amazing 15 days' time. (More on this later.) Jeff Venditti
was behind the Super 16 mm camera, and Burnett Entertainment ("Survivor") was behind the production in association with Serling's Thanksgiving Films, a Santa Monica,
California shop.
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