Dumbstruck: DVD: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Review by JAM
Everybody loves a dummie. Or at least they do if they are ventriloquists or their fans. Dumbstruck takes a look at the serious side of showmanship and voice throwing as it follows five ventriloquists after an annual visit to the mecca of ventriloquism, the Vent Haven convention.
The first and foremost of the followed is the America’s Got Talent winner Terry Fator who is a fun and interesting fellow. His stage presence commands the camera as well as he moves through present details and past stories with a smooth transition throughout his pieces. His backstory is interesting as he never let the lack of total success shut him down, and just happened to find the right place, right time to win the lottery as he said. The second compelling story is Dan, a cruise ship regular who has put his life and his family’s lives on hold as he makes money on the cruise ship circuit. A true pro, Dan has even influenced Terry previously and seems to be a master of the movement and manipulation of the mannequin. His subtle artistry with the simple movements is amazing to watch and seeing him torn apart between his career and his family is so tough to see, especially when things take an unseen turn. Third on the list is a former Beauty queen Kim trying to get herself onto the cruise circuit. She comes off as both likeable and committed , and her story is one that is interesting and worth the time. Working professionally as an entertainer already, she wants more and seems to miss that final step throughout her story. But she will be a success sometime. Friend four is a teenage vent named Dylan just starting out. While not as compelling, his story highlights some of the challenges faced when choosing a path that seems so strange to others in your life. And finally is Wilma, a dedicated ventriloquist who has the heart strings tugging story but less compelling aspects than the other focuses.
Meeting again at the end at the Vent Haven, these five stories intertwine once more as we receive some resolution, entertainment, and ventriloquism.
JAMS Ink on Dumbstruck
I wasn’t sure what I was going to think on this one, but to be honest the storylines in this documentary often had me hooked. Terry, Dan , and Kim kept me wanting more as they flashed in and out of the focus and even Dylan had his times where I could see the difficulty faced in choosing a career on the fringes. It was interesting to see the success versus the longing for success versus the beginning aspects of the journey versus an overall obliviousness to needs and necessities.
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EXTRAS
Further interviews with Terry and two other sets of characters make up the extras on this release. The Terry portions are good extras that I guess really had no place in the release but enhance it nonetheless, and the other are interesting characters again but without the invested backstory of the others, so they make for interesting addition but not overall necessary.
Remember check out this review and more from JAM at www.hollywoodteenzine.com for teens and tweens, and at http://jammoviereviews.blogspot.com for movies of all genres and ages.
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