Shot in Northern Arizona, "Jake's Corner" is a sentimental low-budget drama about a recluse whose life turns upside down when his sister and her husband die, forcing him to care for his nephew.
The real star of the movie is the dinky little burg where it's set. A mishmash of double-wides, broken-down, live-in semis, a dive bar and corner store, the desert hideaway beckons you to join in its whimsy.
The town is the creation of Johnny Dunn, a former NFL player who won the Heisman as an Arizona Wildcat. He's fictional, obviously.
Having given up on the fast life, he's retreated to a little enclave in the desert, populated by the few friends and hangers-on who didn't run off when the money ran out.
The characters are all quirky, probably too much so, and like the villagers in one of the "Zelda" video games, all have little dilemmas that will be neatly resolved before the credits roll.
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There's Clint (Danny Trejo), the town drunk, who repeats his sentences; Fran (Diane Ladd), the psychic shut-in who fears she's being stalked by a bear; Dado (Sanel Budlimic), a Bosnian refugee who refuses to sleep inside; Gus (Tony Longo), the forgetful sheriff; Wheels (David Della Rocco), the gibberish-talking cook; and Eight Seconds (Don Collier), the stone-faced cowboy who refuses to speak until the plot deems it necessary.
A town with so many bizarre characters is better suited to a "Northern Exposure"-like TV series than a feature film, but the Jake's Cornerians all so darn lovable you couldn't muster up any annoyance if you tried.
Johnny's backstory unspools in sentence fragments and passing references, allowing the audience to guess and fill in the gaps. Against his friends' wishes, Johnny decides not to tell his nephew, Spence (Colton Rodgers), about the accident in order to shield him from the pain. Instead, Johnny tells Spence his parents are in the hospital.
Johnny has his own reasons for maintaining the ruse, as wrongheaded as it may be, and the misdirection adds a "Life Is Beautiful"-like charm to the drama. The parental choice between maintaining a child's blissful innocence and training him to face reality is excruciating. As Johnny tries to teach Spence to be a man, he's forced to take a long look at his own shortcomings.
The movie's sports pedigree is solid: Former Phoenix Suns hoopster Dan Majerle is one of the producers, and writer/director Jeff Santo's dad is Chicago Cubs great Ron Santo. As a result, the film twinkles with little touches die-hard sports fans will notice, down to details such proper football terminology, Johnny's vintage Wildcats basketball shorts and the picture of Pat Tillmann on his wall.
My favorite sequence has nothing to do with the plot: A gaggle of Arizona State student bandits try to make off with Johnny's trophy, screaming "U of A sucks!" as they drive off. Johnny's swift, cool, "Bear Down" response is enough to make any Wildcat cheer. We sure could use you at Arizona Stadium, Johnny Dunn.
Review
Jake's Corner
***
• Rated: PG for thematic elements and language.
• Cast: Richard Tyson, Colton Rodgers, Danny Trejo, Diane Ladd.
• Writer/director: Jeff Santo.
• Family call: Fine for families.
• Running time: 100 minutes.
