With independent films emerging to the mainstream in the early 1990s, in New York City, a new wave of NYC filmmakers begin to emerge like Tom Di Cillo, Tom Noonan, Noah Baumbach, and Hal Hartley. Another NYC director that was emerging in the early 90s was Eric Schaffer who released his 1993 directorial feature “My Life’s in Turnaround” with co-director Donald Lardner Ward to excellent reviews that starred Schaffer, Ward, Phoebe Cates, Martha Plimpton, and indie-film icon John Sayles. In 1996, Schaffer attempted to make a breakthrough into the mainstream with the romantic comedy “If Lucy Fell”. Though written, directed, and starring Schaffer included a talented cast of actors including Sarah Jessica Parker, supermodel Elle MacPherson, Ben Stiller, and a then-unknown Scarlett Johansson, the film failed to capture to attract the mainstream. A year later, Schaffer’s obsession with supermodels comes to the forefront for a more intimate film about a cab driver having an affair with a supermodel entitled “Fall”.

“Fall” is a more dramatic romance film than “If Lucy Fell” where Schaffer plays lead again in his story of a poetry-spouting cab driver that comes across a married supermodel. After several encounters, they have an affair much the chagrin of his friends and her aristocratic husband in Madrid. While the story is more superior than to the comedy of “If Lucy Fell”, Schaffer’s self-indulgence and supermodel gets the best of him despite some fine dialogue and storylines. Also starring Amanda de Cadenet, Lisa Vidal, Francie Swift, and Rudolph Martin. “Fall” is a drama that fails to deliver and instead becomes a film that relies more on Schaffer’s ego.

It’s a typical day for a New York City cab driver named Michael where he spouts poetry while picking up customers. One day during a fare, he picks up a supermodel named Sarah (Amanda de Cadenet) who had just finished a photo shoot. She and Michael struck a conversation where for the next few days; they bump into each other frequently. Sarah, who is married to a European aristocrat named Phillipe (Rudolph Martin) who is in Spain on business, is fascinated with Michael’s bohemian lifestyle and poetry. One day at his apartment, she visits him where the two begin to make out. Michael tells his friends, music producer Sally (Lisa Vidal) and priesthood student Robin (Francie Swift) about what happened.

Michael continues to pursue Sarah, even in her work on the runway. She takes him to her apartment where the two begin to have a more sexual affair where they decide to be friends and have sex but no love be involved. Michael introduces Sarah to his friends by taking her to see Robin’s senior thesis stage presentation (that included a little girl played by Scarlett Johansson) where they are impressed with Michael for nabbing Sarah and how laid back she is. Michael and Sarah’s affair gets more intense sexually only to be halted briefly by Sarah’s modeling gigs in Europe.

Sarah often contacts Michael but has to contend with Phillipe’s suspicions as Sarah thinks he’s having an affair too. Sarah returns to New York City briefly to be with Michael but public scrutiny emerges as the two were recently photographed and someone actually recognized Michael in a restaurant. Immediately, Sarah learns a secret about Michael that not only destroys their relationship but also whatever sense of happiness they would’ve had in their unfulfilled lives.

While “Fall” has some nice dramatic and a few humorous moments, the film suffers completely in not just a screenplay that is predictable but also tends to drag in several scenes where the dialogue doesn’t help as does the directing and acting. Also the film comes off as very self-indulgent, especially with Schaffer choosing to expose himself, literally, in a few nude scenes. Even though it’s a drama that involves sex, the sex comes off in a very light way where it only teases rather than gives any relevance to the story. While the film looks attractive with Joe Desalvo, the award-winning cinematographer of Tom Noonan’s “What Happened Was…” the film suffers from Schaffer’s ability to be artsy where a couple of choppy editing sequences from Thom Zinney brings nothing to the film only to be more pretentious. Though the film has a nice soundtrack featuring Aimee Mann, Marry Me Jane, the Verve Pipe, Duncan Shiek, and Amanda Kravat, you also wonder why in the hell Korn is in the soundtrack too.

Then there’s the film’s small cast that really doesn’t help the movie at all despite some nice performances from Lisa Vidal and Francie Swift, who both do some fine acting in their supporting roles but don’t really do anything for the story. Rudolph Martin is very good as Sarah’s suspicious husband although the character is extremely underwritten since we know he loves her but he never gets the chance to be explained. Though she’s only in the film for one-minute, Scarlett Johansson was totally wasted in a ridiculous, religious stage presentation scene where the only thing she says is “I’m scared” in that familiar voice that many would know and love, especially from coming off her breakthrough in 1996’s “Manny & Lo”.

Amanda de Cadenet has some nice scenes and some fine chemistry from Schaffer but her performance isn’t one to really talk about. Plus, her character is extremely underwritten since de Cadenet is sporting an accent throughout the film and as the story evolves, we know a lot about her but the audience isn’t sure if they should sympathize wit her. Though she is beautiful, it’s really a mediocre performance from the model-actress. Schaffer is a fine actor by bringing in humor and wit to his performance but the way he engages is often to be a bit aggressive and forced to the point that once we know his secret, audience isn’t sure if he is to be sympathized with since he’s nothing more than a self-indulgent bohemian.

“Fall” is a drama that falls very hard on its pretentiousness and unresolved storylines along with Eric Schaffer’s obsession with supermodels. Despite a few fine moments in its scenes and writing, “Fall” much to offer. Though Schaffer has continually made films after “Fall”, his work has become more obscure as of late. Fans of Scarlett Johansson won’t find anything relevant to this film since it offers nothing more than a lame one-minute cameo. In the end, go rent the films of Tom Noonan and Hal Hartley and avoid “Fall”.

If Lucy Fell (1996):

(Coming in 2005)


Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age