I was intrigued by Jack Goes Boating when I came across it on my streaming service. It stars my perennial favorite, Philip Seymour Hoffman. It was also Hoffman's Directorial debut. In addition to Hoffman, the film features Amy Ryan, who I was impressed with in the film Win Win. It looked like a promising romantic comedy. Sadly, Jack Goes Boating isn't much of a romantic comedy as much as it is an independent drama. The comedic moments were sparse and the romance was stilted.
Jack (Hoffman) drives for a New York car service along with his buddy, Clyde (John Ortiz). Jack seems to be a perfectionist who likes music that gives him a positive vibe. When he undertakes a new task, he enters into it with strict preparation and visualization. Jack is a lonely guy with a good heart. Clyde's wife Lucy (Daphne Rubin-Vega) sees an opportunity to help Jack and sets up a double date with Connie (Amy Ryan) who works at the funeral home with her.
Jack and Connie hit it off right away. It is the middle of Winter when they plan a boating date for the warmer months. Jack is excited, but doesn't know how to swim. He relies on his friend Clyde to teach him. In the process, he learns about infidelity issues between Clyde and Lucy. As Jack and Connie grow closer together it seems that Clyde and Lucy's relationship begins to disintegrate. The film examines Jack's budding relationship alongside Clyde's stagnated, decaying relationship.
Jack Goes Boating is a character study. It relies on strong, intricate characters to draw parallels without executing a clear message or complex plot. The story simply comes across as a trudging examination of relationships and personalities. It looks at the baggage that people bring with them into relationships and the baggage that stems from it. The dialogue was fresh, the characters credible and intriguing. However, the story was mediocre and the pacing sluggish. The strength of the acting pushes it into the realm where I can offer a mild recommendation.
Hoffman has a tendency to find quirky, often dysfunctional roles. In Jack Goes Boating, his role is a bit tamer than some of his other endeavors. His character is likable. Hoffman did a great job of giving the character dimension, which included flaws that did not take credibility away from his character. Ryan was also strong and had an interesting chemistry with Hoffman, although I wasn't fully buying off on their relationship. Ortiz and Rubin-Vega were awesome and played the strained marriage roles to a tee. They brought credibility to their roles while creating characters that were easy to identify with. Great casting kept this film from finding its way to the non-recommendation list.
Jack Goes Boating managed to slip into R rating territory, likely due to frequent drug use. The film depicts hashish smoked through a hookah, cocaine snorting and a few scenes where a joint it passed. That seemed to be the most blatant of the objectionable material. There was plenty of sexually thematic material, but no actual sex or nudity. The film also had plenty of strong language and tense scenes that felt like they could become violent. All things considered, the material ended up being rather tame. I would allow a teenager to see this film.
I was disappointed in Jack Goes Boating. I was hoping for more, especially with Hoffman getting his crack at Director. While the characters were rich, the story was sluggish and unfulfilling. It was more an examination of relationships and dysfunction. Without a clear message or real plot, the film managed to waste intricately drawn characters that were likable in spite of their flaws. Some people will simply call this film boring. I thought it had some redeeming qualities in the characters and wouldn't go that far. The acting was strong, as well. While slow, the film has enough good qualities for a mild recommendation. 6/10.