It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but it does have something important to say-which is more than can be said for a lot of films these days.
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Peter Paige´s ("Queer as Folk") writing and directorial debut "Say Uncle" showcases some of the pratfalls of a first time director, while, at the same time, tackling a subject that can be considered controversial in a light and breezy way.
This 2005 movie follows Paul Johnson, an artist stuck in a one-way telemarketing job. One of his pleasures in life is being around kids, especially his godson Morgan. As it turns out, Morgan and his parents are moving to Japan, a fact that is sprung on Paul one night. Instead of cherishing the time he has left with Morgan, Paul withdraws from reality. To that end, he begins playing with other people´s children at the local park. This, predictably, raises the eyebrows of a suburban housewife, Maggie (Katy Najimy), who launches a crusade against the man she perceives to be a pedophile.
Paige has the perhaps unenviable task of being not only the director of "Say Uncle" but also its co-producer, writer and star. All of those responsibilities would have taxed the most seasoned director working with a budget under $1 million. Paige, though, had a story to tell that was close to his heart as he says in the commentary track.
The characters and situations in "Say Uncle" exist in a reality that closely mirrors the real world. The only portion of the film that smacks of Hollywood-ness is the ending, which we´ll get to in a minute. Paul is a naïve man who never really grew up, emotionally, because his parents died in a fire years ago. Therefore, his naivety doesn´t stem from ignorance, but rather from the fact he lives in a world in which people are inherently good and don´t believe in stereotypes about gay men playing with children. It´s almost painful to see his world come crumbling down around him when he tries to set up an adoption interview…without a job and dressed up as a clown.
In that same world, it´s okay for a grown man to go into the bathroom with a little girl and for her to come out crying. To an observer, like Maggie, Paul did something to the girl where no one could see them. To Paul, however, all he was doing was comforting a child who had an accident. He truly doesn´t see anything wrong with what he´s doing, even though his best friend Russell (Anthony Clark), repeatedly tells him the things he does he, well, can not do.
The film is littered with these types of moments, the ones that make the audience collectively shake their heads in amazement that common sense somehow passed Paul over. It´s analogous to the young buxom female running into the woods at night to escape a serial killer in a horror flick. Everyone knows there are certain things that can be done and certain things that cannot be done with kids. However, Paul is able to do those things with Morgan because his parents-Sarah and Jim-trust him. The message, or at least one of the messages of "Say Uncle", is that not everybody is going to trust everybody else. As a result, there are ways to ensure unfounded allegations don´t surface against us.
All that being said, the blame doesn´t lie squarely on Paul for his love of kids. Maggie and her entire group of housewives are also at fault if only because they assume things about Paul based on a couple things they "know". One, they know he´s gay. Two, he hangs around the playground and plays with kids. Three, he works around kids. Really, that´s all Maggie has against Paul. She even presents her case to a cop, who laughs her off when her evidence is that he´s gay. A similar thing happens in her neighborhood meeting. Some of her friends walk out and think she´s insane. But enough actually stay and organize a press conference.
A press conference that is carried on live television without a single member of the assembled media asking any questions. Granted, the assembled media is one news crew and one newspaper reporter, but the rules of journalism would have these people doing their research before carrying a live news story. The indictment here, though Paige doesn´t really come out and say it, is twofold. The first is the old axiom that idle hands are the devil´s playthings. Maggie doesn´t have a whole lot else in her life (as evidenced in the sex scene with her husband), so this becomes her personal crusade. Again, a bit of common sense would help her character just as much as it would help Paul.
The other message from Maggie´s perspective is that stereotypes and generalizations are just that: stereotypes and generalizations. Her entire "case" against Paul is made up of conjecture and a few facts she "knows". Had she taken the time to research Paul (just like the media), she would have found a man who loves kids because he understands them on their level.
As with any film, there are logic defying moments in "Say Uncle" that bring it out of reality and into a version of reality that doesn´t exist. When Paul loses his job at the telemarketing company, he works at a toy store for a short time. Other than that, we never see him work. How does he pay his bills or eat? There is also a moment fairly early on when Paul walks into Susan and Jim´s former house…only to find the new owners unpacking their bags. These two people don´t threaten him if he doesn´t leave their house. They don´t even call the cops. Paul simply leaves…only to have Elise (Gabrielle Union) follow him outside and let him cry on her shoulder. And she becomes a friend and confidant through the end of the picture. The only way this type of situation can exist is in the movies. For a film that tries to be as realistic as it can, a line explaining either of these situations would have helped a lot.
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[release]19899[/release]