MOVIE OF THE WEEK November 8, 2024: SALLYWOOD
Writer/director Xaque Gruber’s showbiz comedy Sallywood pays loving homage to one of Hollywood’s grand dames — Oscar nominee/Golden Globe winner Sally Kirkland — while poking fun at the machinations, manipulations, and short attention span of Tinseltown itself. Based on Gruber’s own real-life experiences getting started in the entertainment industry (and working as Kirkland’s assistant) in the early 2000s, it’s ultimately as affectionate as it is satirical.
Sallywood isn’t strictly autobiographical/true to life, but, like the real-life Xaque (which is pronounced “Zack”), the movie version (played by Tyler Steelman) is also a lifelong Kirkland superfan who grew up far from Southern California but is determined to try his luck in Hollywood. So he says goodbye to his parents — affable dad Dave (Lenny von Dohlen) and overprotective mom Joann (Jennifer Tilly) — and drives across the country from Maine. Almost immediately after he arrives, Zack is giddy to cross paths with Kirkland at an art gallery where she’s showing her paintings, and he almost keels over when she asks him then and there to be her assistant.
He quickly discovers that it’s definitely not all glitz and glamour working for Kirkland, whose star is now somewhat tarnished and who, more than anything, wants someone to keep her company (don’t be surprised if some aspects of the movie remind you of HBO’s comedy series Hacks). But the two develop a caring friendship and, with the help of Zack’s ambitious roommate, Tom (Tom Connolly), they manage to get Sally on a movie set again (yes, it’s a terrible alien horror movie, but still!). All the while, Kirkland is gunning for a role in a much more prestigious picture, hoping to be remembered and made relevant again.
In a very meta, perfectly showbiz twist, it’s actually this movie that’s most likely to accomplish that goal. By taking the reins of their own quirky story, Gruber and Kirkland come full circle on their goals, and they do it their way. And just as Kirkland reminds the other characters in the movie why she still deserves to be seen as a Hollywood legend, so does Sallywood remind viewers of the importance of appreciating those legends ourselves.– Betsy Bozdech
Team #MOTW’s comments:
Loren King Sallywood is an utterly charming film. Part Hollywood satire, part coming of age comedy, and part valentine to a film buff’s screen fantasy, this low budget, original meta-movie that mixes humor and poignancy with tenderness and without pretension. Director Xaque Gruber’s autobiographical story gives the leading role of Sally Kirkland to Kirkland herself and the actress has a ball with it. A bit of a Harold and Maude relationship develops between Kirkland and Zack (Tyler Steelman), the young man based on Gruber who arrives in Hollywood from Maine infatuated with Kirkland after a boyhood of repeat viewings of her memorable indie “Anna,” the 1988 sleeper that improbably earned her an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe. Kirkland delivers a delicious performance that balances satire and earnestness. It’s self-deprecating but never undignified as Sallywood makes points about ageism, fame, and the superficiality of show business with heart and humor and without heavy handedness.
Pam Grady: Call it Sunset Boulevard Lite. Like Norma Desmond, actress Sally Kirkland is still ready for her closeup but time has passed her by. And like Norma, she forms an unusual alliance with a struggling writer. But Zack (Tyler Steelman) is no gigolo. Instead, he is a sweet, naïve Maine transplant who grew up worshiping Kirkland, a stan from the first time he saw her in her Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning role in Anna. Now, even as he strives to jumpstart his own career in Hollywood, he becomes Sally’s personal assistant, even as she lacks the money to pay him. She has a wall full of photographs of her former lovers but she’s alone and lonely, so much so that Zack brings her home to meet his disapproving parents Joanne (Jennifer Tilley) and Dave (Lenny van Dohlen) over the holidays. Inspired by writer/director Xaque Gruber’s real-life relationship with Kirkland, Sallywood is part light satire of Tinseltown and its strivers; part mockumentary with Keith Carradine, Kay Lenz, and Maria Conchita Alonso playing characters whose commentary fills in the contours of Sally’s story; and all heart, given extra buoyancy by the effervescent octogenarian at the heart of it all.
Nell Minow: It is such fun to see Sally Kirkland having a blast as a slightly heightened version of herself, and to see her through the eyes of true-story-inspired character who is so happy to be around her. And what a delight to see Kay Lenz, Eric Roberts, Michael Lerner, and Keith Carradine bringing so much to small parts, perfectly catching the slightly loopy but always warm-hearted tone.
Sherin Nicole In this absurdist adventure on the boulevard of broken dreams, Xaque Gruber concocts a memoir that doubles as a spoof. Sallywood is filled with zany family and even zanier Hollywood dynamics, but above all, watching Sally Kirkland go wild will make you want to join her cheer squad.
Leslie Combemale The fact that Sallywood alternates between having a strong C-movie sensibility and being a grounded and sweet story of someone’s seminal friendship makes it better, not worse. It takes getting through a very stylized first 1/2 hour to get into its groove, but those who hang with it will be well compensated. That’s particulary true about Sally Kirkland’s send up of a large percentage of Hollywood insiders. She plays herself as an aging actor who repeatedly trips herself up with her own lack of self awareness. Hollywood is hard, but still, she couldn’t be more on point. It’s funny and poignant and a little sad, and fully worth your time.
Jennifer Merin Sallywood is a spoofy Hollywood satire with a wickedly twisted premise and plot, a good dose of campy behavior and a decidedly B movie vibe. Written and directed Xaque Gruber, the semi-autobiographical plot centers on Zack, a young and star struck wannabe scriptwriter who leaves his super-controlling parents’ home in Small Town, Maine, for glam Hollywood, determined to find his way into the movie biz. Through a number of absolutely unbelievable circumstances, Zack winds up as the assistant to his all time favorite movie star crush, the legendary Sally Kirkland, now an octogenarian (she actually turns 82 on Oct 31, 2024) who is desperately seeking employment that will pay her rent arrears and sustain her spirit. Sally Kirkland plays Sally Kirkland perfectly. Her self-satire is a flow of massive anxiety with comic timing. The supporting ensemble is terrific, creating character arcs and relationships that are amusingly absurd. No spoilers, but the Hollywood party scene in which Sally bursts into the “light your fires” monologue from G,B, Shaw’s Saint Joan to on-the-spot audition for a film director who won’t answer her agents calls is simultaneously hilarious and pathetic, and marks a performance that is Sally Kirkland at her bravely honest and vulnerable best. And, within Sallywood‘s realm of spoof is an undercurrent of serious concerns about Hollywood’s systemic ageism and spurious dirty deals.
Sandie Angulo Chen: Sallywood is a poignant and humorous semi-autobiographical dramedy that follows a naive, aspiring screenwriter who crosses paths with his childhood celebrity crush, Sally Kirkland (played by herself). Written and directed by Xaque Gruber, the film stars Tyler Steelman as young Zack, who grew up in Maine captivated by Kirkland’s Oscar-nominated role in Anna and moves out to Los Angeles to pursue his showbiz dreams. Kirkland is both hilarious and touching as she portrays herself—a determined octogenarian clinging to hopes of relevance and employability in an industry notoriously unkind to women over 45 (or even 35, as noted by Eric Roberts’s character, Kirkland’s agent). Like Between the Temples, this is a heartwarming story of a fulfilling, joyous friendship between an older woman and a (much) younger man.
Liz Whittemore: Xaque Gruber’s indie charmer Sallywood follows a starry-eyed young man’s move to Hollywood as he searches for his big break and favorite movie star. Tyler Steelman gives Zack an infectious enthusiasm. His cartoonishly naive demeanor is endearing. Sally Kirkland delivers a hilariously meta and entirely fearless portrayal of herself. Commanding your attention with her quirky personality, she is a gas. Steelman and Kirkland possess an unexpectedly delightful chemistry. Kirkland is a comic guru, and Steelman keeps up with her energy while holding his own. Despite its absurdity, Sallywood is undeniably smirk-inducing.
Cate Marquis A 20-something aspiring writer named Zack (Tyler Steelman) travels from his parents’ home in Maine to Los Angeles, with Hollywood dreams and a wish to meet his favorite star, Sally Kirkland – which he does, on his first day! And she hires him on the spot to be her personal assistant! Of course, “hired” is a loose term as Sally Kirkland, once a Golden Globe winner and an Oscar nominee, has been pretty much forgotten by Hollywood. In writer/director Xaque Gruber’s partly-true, goofily-charming comedy, the real Sally Kirkland plays herself, and we also get other award-winning actors and directors of the past, including Eric Roberts, Jennifer Tilly, Keith Carradine and Kay Lenz, who either cameo or add pointed comment on the film industry’s short memory and tendency to rampant ageism. This award-winner comedy is both smarter and more heart-tugging than you expect.
FILM DETAILS:
Title: Sallywood
Director: Xaque Gruber
Release Date: November 8, 2024
Running Time: 95 minutes
Language: English
Screenwriters: Xaque Gruber
Lead Performers: Sally Kirkland, Tyler Steelman
Distribution Company: Sneak Preview Entertainment
AWFJ Movie of the Week Panel Members: Sandie Angulo Chen, Betsy Bozdech, Leslie Combemale, Pam Grady, Loren King, Cate Marquis, Jennifer Merin, Nell Minow, Sherin Nicole, Liz Whittemore
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Edited by Jennifer Merin
