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Review: 'The Guys' a moving tributeFine film pays tribute to heroes of 9/11
By Paul Clinton
(CNN) -- Showing considerable talent and compassion, Anthony LaPaglia and Sigourney Weaver star in the small, poignant drama "The Guys." The work, which is set 10 days after the World Trade Center attacks, began as a way-off-Broadway two-character play about a veteran New York City fireman, Nick (LaPaglia), who must deliver eulogies for his fallen comrades, and a freelance journalist, Joan (Weaver), who helps him find the words. The film version, directed by Weaver's husband Jim Simpson, is a deeply personal and human story without any of the horrific images associated with the September 11, 2001, attacks. Most of the action takes place in an apartment in Park Slope, Brooklyn. At one point, Joan says "People who are ordinary and are in extraordinary situations, that's what this is about." The film never strays from that basic premise. The two strangers have been brought together by chance -- Joan's sister lives in the neighborhood where Nick's fire station is located -- and at first, their encounter is awkward. But with great sensitivity, Joan slowly draws Nick out, as he begins to open up about his men, their daily lives, and the love and respect they felt for each other. It's obvious that Nick is still in a state of shock: "We're talking about 350 men. In a bad year we might lose six. This happened in one day. In one hour." Making sense of the unthinkableGradually, they become a team. Nick needs to express deep emotions that he finds hard to convey, and Joan needs some way of making sense of the unthinkable. They both want to make the men seem real, human, not elevate them into some type of superhuman heroes. At one point, Nick laments about the death of his best friend Pat, who died in Tower One: "I'm alive and he's dead, and I don't know why." Using this intensely personal approach makes both characters uniquely convincing. Also at work here is the beautifully crafted script by Ann Nelson, who also wrote the play. She is the director of the international program at the Columbia University School of Journalism, and had never written a play before. However, she was able to take her own feelings as a New Yorker and convey them in such a simple way that the result is intensely dramatic without falling into the trap of overt sentimentality. 'True and as accurate as possible'Everyone involved in the project was adamant about not appearing to exploit the pain and suffering caused by the unthinkable events of September 11. For Australian actor LaPaglia, that was a major concern. "I did the play in New York for about a month and realized from doing the play and the audience reaction that indeed it was not inappropriate," he said. LaPaglia also faced one of his greatest acting challenges while filming "The Guys." At the climax of the movie, Nick finally delivers one of the eulogies he and Joan have struggled so hard to write. The church is packed with people, and not just extras: many of those looking on were actual family members of firefighters lost when the Twin Towers collapsed. "That was very difficult," he remembered, "the hardest part of the film because it had to be true and as accurate as possible." "The Guys" was a labor of love done on a tiny budget. Director Simpson even plays Joan's husband, and one of their children, Charlotte, plays their daughter in the film. This straightforward drama stays very true to the play, and retains the feeling of a stage production -- a conscious choice of the filmmakers. They didn't want to "open up" the play with a lot of additional location scenes, working instead to keep it simple and intimate. The result is a truly moving experience, and a perfect example of how art -- when done right -- can help heal, clarify, and comfort. "The Guys" opens in limited release on Friday, March 28, and will roll out slowly to the rest of the country during the month of April. The film is rated PG.
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