Institute History
Description
Hollywood is so much more. Grief is a witty and at times rollicking comedy combined with heartfelt drama. Tracing five days in the lives of "The Love Judge" staff. the film is as much about the value of friendship as the hilarious process of creating a tabloid-style syndicated series. Weaving video footage of the parodied docudrama episodes throughout the story peppers the film with wit and adds to its overall effectiveness.
The story centers around Mark. A talented young story editor stuck in a bit of a loony bin. On the first anniversary of his lover's death from AIDS, Mark contemplates jumping off the roof of the office building. Easily enough diverted by the activities indoors, Mark wades through a virtual cesspool of emotional turmoil. Joe, his cross-dressing boss, is unexpectedly quitting her job. Bill is distraught about breaking up with his girlfriend, but at the same time is flirting all over the place. Leslie is looking for true love. Jeremy is lusting after Bill, so is Mark. . and this is only the beginning. Still, the show goes on. The crew cranks out sagas about schizophrenic opera divas, circus lesbians and Tourette's syndrome victims, while Joe solves her own mystery, carefully examining strange stains that keep showing up on her new couch.
In the midst of all this, offscreen executives exist somewhere upstairs. Dictating by waves of homophobia, these higher-ups force "The Love Judge" staff to scramble for acceptance. Here lies the larger parody in the film: the presence of these unseen aggressors weighs heavily on the characters we quickly grow to love. Richard Glatzer has shaped a very unique film with Grief, he is definitely a director to watch.
Friday Jan 21 6:00 pm
Prospector Square Theatre
Sunday Jan 23 1:40 pm
Holiday Village Cinema III
Wednesday Jan 26 9:30 pm
Park City Library Center
Thursday Jan 27 7:40 pm
Holiday Village Cinema III
$7.00