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SCRANTON — Almost since it was in production, rumors abound that the Paul Sorvino directed and co-starring indie drama “The Trouble With Cali,” shot primarily in Lackawanna County and funded in part with a $500,000 investment from Lackawanna County, was not going to be very good. Shot in 2007, it took Sorvino five years until he had a cut of the picture that he felt was good enough to be screened. And it was, one time at the 2012 Sedona Film Festival in Arizona where it did not garner favorable reviews, though Sorvino was given a Lifetime Achievement Award.

A distribution deal has yet to materialize for the film, and probably never will, but area residents finally got their chance to see the film Thursday night at the Scranton Cultural Center and judge for themselves as to whether the city made a worthwhile investment. The answer to that question may depend on whether you find disastrously bad films fun and entertaining?

The film screens at 7:30 July 10 and 11 and admission is free. The film is available to borrow on Blu-ray disc through the Lackawanna Library System.

While many at the near capacity screening were probably bracing for the worst, it appeared that no one was ready for just how hysterically bad it turned out to be.

After a brief opening scene featuring a character played by Sorvino’s son, Michael, who appears at various points around the edge of the narrative but never interacts with the main characters, the film settles in on the story of teenage girl, Cali BlueJones (Laurence Leboeuf, who gives the film’s only moderately credible performance) trying to navigate the dissolution of her parents’ (the elder Sorvino and Glynnis O’Connor) marriage, the demands of her ballet instructor (Sorvino’s daughter Mira) and the attentions of the improbably named modeling agent Vail Bosenthall (Chris Meyer). The film barrels along from scene to scene, offering little if any narrative cohesion, before coming to a finale that had become trite in the midst of the 1990s independent film boom.

What followed was a 90-minute parade of bad dialogue, acting on only two settings – disinterested and histrionic – inconsistent audio and lighting and brazenly inept editing.

But on another level, the movie was mesmerizing, daring you to think that it couldn’t get any worse before it does. And nearly every overly wrought moment, woodenly delivered line or instance of just plain sloppy film making (a scene where Sorvino’s character tries to sneak into his bedroom late at night without waking his wife, but there is bright sunlight streaming through the curtained windows), entice gales of laughter through the theater.

“The Trouble With Cali” turned out to be one of those “so bad, it’s good” films, the kind that could indeed build a cult following if it only had a distribution deal in place.

Afterwards, the lobby of the Cultural Center was abuzz as people talked about what they had just witnessed.

“While it probably wasn’t the worst movie I’ve ever seen, I think the audience took it as tongue-in-cheek,” said Kathy Wendolowski of Clark Summit.“You just had to laugh.” She also addressed the continuing controversy over Scranton being a main financier of the film. “I understand that the thought behind (Scranton investing in the film) was not for just this movie but to attract other productions. They did bring a lot of money to hotels and dining, but no, I don’t think that it is necessary for public government to do that.”

“Honestly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but it was still a horrible B-movie.” said Jeff Krisulevicz of Wilkes-Barre Township, before noting his favorite part of the movie was Cali’s mother. “Her drinking problem. Her scenes were show stealing.”

John Mikulak was excited by film. “You have to see it to disbelieve it!” he exclaimed with a chuckle. Mikulak is no stranger to film production having shot the 2009 documentary about Jan Lewan “The Man Who Would Be Polka King” and the 2014 comedy “The Deviants” in the region. “It was unbelievable! I will never be able to unsee this in my mind’s eye. It’s unbelievably, wonderfully bad.”

“I feel like I have been rooffied by this movie! I am movie drunk,” laughed Jason Sherry, director of the 2006 feature-length, Scranton-shot indie comedy “Cubes.”

“This was like nine movies in one, and all of them are bad. It was like watching ‘Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?’ if it were written by a third grader.”

Paul Sorvino’s movie, partially funded by the city of Scranton will be shown at the Scranton Culture Center. Reviews of the movie claim it’s bad, just bad.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_cali11.jpg.optimal.jpgPaul Sorvino’s movie, partially funded by the city of Scranton will be shown at the Scranton Culture Center. Reviews of the movie claim it’s bad, just bad.

Paul Sorvino’s movie, partially funded by the city of Scranton will be shown at the Scranton Culture Center. Reviews of the movie claim it’s bad, just bad.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_cali21.jpg.optimal.jpgPaul Sorvino’s movie, partially funded by the city of Scranton will be shown at the Scranton Culture Center. Reviews of the movie claim it’s bad, just bad.

Paul Sorvino’s movie, partially funded by Lackawanna County will be shown at the Scranton Culture Center. Reviews of the movie claim it’s bad, just bad.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_cali31.jpg.optimal.jpgPaul Sorvino’s movie, partially funded by the city of Scranton will be shown at the Scranton Culture Center. Reviews of the movie claim it’s bad, just bad.

By Rich Drees

For the Times Leader

 

IF YOU GO:

What: A viewing of “The Trouble With Cali”

Where: Scranton Cultural Center

When: 7:30 p.m. July 10, 11

 

Reach the arts and entertainment section at [email protected]