Turning Green Movie Review 2009
Cast & Crew
October 30th, 2009
Director :Michael Aimette, John G. Hofmann
Writer : Michael Aimette, John G. Hofmann
Starring:: Timothy Hutton, Alessandro Nivola, Colm Meaney
New Films International
Comedy, Drama
In Turning Green; available in Los Angeles and New York theaters October 30th from New Films International, a film set in 1970s Ireland, James Powers (Donal Gallery) is a 16-year-old American teen who has been stuck in Ireland for six years after his mother died. He is force to live his three Irish aunts in a life that is dull and depressing.
James has been making a few bucks doing parlor tricks, but realizes it will take forever at that rate to save enough money to return to America. He thinks he has found his great break when he gets a job as a "collector" for Bill the Bookie (Alessandro Nivola). Unlike Bill the Breaker (Timothy Hutton), James uses his relationship skills to collect on gambling debts for his boss.
Still, James finds himself underpaid and undervalued as Bill tells him there are plenty of other boys who want his job. James finally gets his break when he is sent to London to stay with another aunt so he can get a physical exam (his aunts think he has stomach issues because he spends a lot of time in the bathroom "pleasuring" himself). While there, he discovers pornography, something apparently not readily available in his part of 1970s Ireland.
James makes a bad decision to hold out on Bill, which results in his friend Tom (Colm Meaney) getting beaten, and James facing a two week deadline to repay. Using his entrepreneurial skills, James decides to be the local porn dealer and he has his supplier in London ship him boxes, and then crates, of magazines, which he sells for more than double the cost. All goes well until the Bills become aware of the competition and are none to happy.
Turning Green is a surprisingly captivating and cleverly presented film from new writer/director team Michael Aimette and John G. Hofmann. Great supporting stars like Nivola, Hutton, and Meaney add plenty of value to this story, but it is the great presence and enthusiastic talent of new star Donal Gallery that helps Turning Green succeed.
Due to some of the prominent sexual themes, Turning Green is not for younger kids or teens, despite that fact it has not yet been rated by the MPAA. Aside from this potential setback, the film itself offers a great story of one young man's dream for something bigger and his intuition and drive to get it in the face of serious threats and obstacles.
