When Jeff Tried to Save the World follows the misadventures of slacker, retro bowling alley manager Jeff (Jon Heder) once he gets word that his beloved establishment will be closing down. Jeff now has to get off his butt, fix the scuffs on the lanes, the glitchy video games and everything else wrong with his second home known as Winky’s World.
Co-writer/Director and Chapman University alumna, Kendall Goldberg foun the perfect little bowling alley just outside Chicago, Il, for the setting of When Jeff Tried to Save the World.
“I love working with director Kendall Goldberg. She is the Harold to my Maude…I hope everyone loves the film as much as I do,” said the wonderfully hilarious Candi Milo, who plays Sheila, the alcoholic bowling alley owner.
It is refreshing to see Heder not as a wacky or goofy character that he has been so known to play since the release of Napoleon Dynamite. In fact, he is quite endearing as Jeff in a movie that lived up to my expectations of a dramatic film with some light humor that didn’t detract from the sadness of being forced to change when you aren’t quite ready to make that leap.
“It’s a drama with some comedic elements, especially when you’re doing independent films, there’s no hardcore genre that you’re set into. When we did Napoleon (Dynamite) you’re not quite sure what genre it fell into, sure you could say it was comedy, but this one (When Jeff Tried to Save the World), was nice to do a switch up and a change because while I’m surround by almost all the other characters it has this larger than life feel and they carry more of the comedy, I have to be the straight man that glues everyone together with a little more drama and it was refreshing to play someone who’s a little bit more towards my own personal sensibilities,” said Heder about his roll as Jeff.
When Jeff Tried to Save the World is one of the most entertaining independent films I have seen in quite sometime. The entire cast, which also includes Steve Berg as Frank, play each part as if it was written specifically for them. If you are in the Orange County area, there is a second screening on Wednesday, May 2nd that you should not miss.
Visit When Jeff Tried to Save the World’s official website at www.whenjeffmovie.com and click any of the highlighted link to purchase tickets to the second screening at the Newport Beach Film Festival.
When Jeff Tried to Save the World
Wednesday, May 2, 2018 at 5:00 p.m.
Edwards Big Newport 6
300 Newport Center Dr.
Newport Beach, CA 92660
When Jeff
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Overall Score
Summary
When Jeff Tried to Save the World is an endearing story of how one event can change your life forever. This one definitely belongs in your DVD/Blu-ray collection when it hits store shelves.
