A comedy centered on a handyman (Arkin) and his lifelong competition with his neighbor (Pendleton.)
Genre(s): Comedy
Runtime: 103 minutes
Rating: 5.6/10 (210 votes)
Release Date: 10 November 2006
Country: USA
Languages: English
Company: Oregon Creative LLC
Sound: Stereo
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for brief drug content.
Director(s): Neal Miller
Producer(s):
Nancy Miller – producer
Neal Miller – producer
Writer(s):
Nancy Miller – writer
Neal Miller – writer
Dorothy Velasco – writer
Cast:
Alan Arkin – Flagg Purdy
Lauren Holly – Rachel Purdy
Glenne Headly – Anne Marie Purdy
Barbara Dana – Ada Purdy
Austin Pendleton – Gus Falk
Matthew Arkin – Eldon Purdy
Robert Blanche – Matt Durwood
Lyssa Browne – Tammy Purdy
George Fosgate – Foster Cooper
Jordan Fry – Porter Purdy
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I will get down to it. This movie was another average film thatHollywood has made.
It focuses around a man and his lifelong struggle with his neighbor;pretty random plot.
Another thing that was uninteresting is how long the film felt,regarding some scenes, which just seemed to go on and on and on, reallygiving me a yawn.
Somehow In knew this was only inevitable with Neal Miller taking thedirector's seat. My rating out of ten of this film is a five, becauseeven tedious it can be a little funny.
This is an independent film, not a Hollywood film. I recently had achance to see it at the TriMedia Film Festival in Fort Collins,Colorado. It's a slow film, and slightly quirky, as is common in manyindependent films, but the characters are fairly well-developedcharacters and well-acted for the most part. As such, this is acharacter-driven film.
While the central plot element is the conflict between Flagg Purdy(Alan Arkin) and his lifelong friend and neighbor, Gus Falk (AustinPendleton), the story is really about Flagg's family and forgiveness.Flagg is a stubborn, prideful man who is hard to get along with. Yet,members of his family come to visit at his request, even ifreluctantly. Throughout the film, the actors effectively convey thestrained relationships within the family, and much of the story iswatching the interactions play out between them. In the end, thereisn't so much resolution as there is progress, and a degree of hope.
This is a most unusual art film. It is not for kids, eager for actionand gore, nor is it a chick flick, although there are overtones of suchsentiment. It's a believable film, beautifully filmed in Oregon, abouta stubborn old man whose pride, eccentricity, and self-pity shake uphis family and his small town. The movie is billed as a comedy, butthere are few laughs. The genius of the film is in its acting andphotography. Arkin is just one of the superb actors who make mattersalmost look like reality television. The shots of rural and small townOregon (north of Portland along the Columbia) are memorable. The storybegins slowly (after 20 minutes I couldn't make out what was going on)and then, in due course, reveals the dimensions of the plot. How couldsuch a distinguished film be made in this era of crass pandering to themajority? I'm sure that it lost money. (Filmed in 2003, it was releasedthree years later.) But serious students of film do not want to missthis little gem.
"Raising Flagg" is a laid back, innocuous indie comedy about acantankerous, attention-seeking old codger (delightfully played by AlanArkin) and his run-ins with various members of his family andcommunity.
Preferring the appreciative chuckle to the full-throated guffaw,writer/director Neil Miller gently ribs his small town folk withoutonce resorting to condescension or caricature to get the laugh. Arkinis nicely complemented by a cast of familiar and not-so-familiar faces(Austen Pendleton and Richard Kine being probably the most recognizableof the lot), while the Pacific Northwest setting provides a scenicbackdrop for all the shenanigans.