By Cayman Compass contributor Jarett Theberge
The spirit of the buddy film is alive and well with Grace Wethor’s ‘Saving Buddy Charles’, due in large to directing a script written by her good friend Jillian Shea Spaeder.
‘Saving Buddy Charles’ follows friends Sydney (Spaeder) and Clara (Analesa Fisher) on a road trip to reclaim Sydney’s pet lizard, the titular Buddy Charles, from her ex-boyfriend before they part for college. However, Clara has news regarding her health that could halt the good times from rolling along.
The film pulls from Wethor’s own life, as at the age of 13, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor and given only six months to live. Inspired by watching her friend deal with such an unfortunate reality, Spaeder pulls those emotions through this script as the highway hijinks are seemingly reflective of the laughs the pair used to get them both through that difficult time.
Shortly after the film’s outset, the pair drop Sydney’s little sister off at camp and on the way back home, Clara brings up how Sydney’s ex, the contemptuous and immature Liam (Ian Boggs), is about to move to Japan with her old pet lizard. Or is it a skink? Are skinks lizards?
The two then decide to set off from California to Idaho for one last adventure, where they run into a washed-up children’s show host, an aspiring homeless influencer, a very pink octogenarian, and a host of other cartoon-like characters, à la 1985’s ‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure’.
This is where audiences may have the most fun with ‘Saving Buddy Charles’. We get these vignettes of one odd-ball creature of the American west to the next – almost reducing Sydney and Clara to merely vessels for the story of the landscape. That’s not to say that the heroes aren’t fun to watch. “Dueling dorks” was the phrase I kept thinking when it was only Spaeder and Fisher on center stage. Their charm and obvious chemistry made philosophical conversations about credit cards entertaining, albeit non sequitur and a tad long winded.
On the note of conversation, the uses of “dude” and f-bombs in this movie should make Jeff Bridges proud.
The levity serves it purpose, especially as Clara sheds more light on her condition, leaving Sydney with conflicting feelings. The longer lighthearted dialogue in the first two acts set up these much more serious conversations between the two as the movie reaches its end.
Coming-of-age films work because they identify those overblown “end of the world” kind of moments we have when we’re growing up. But the thought of losing your best friend through mortality or your own actions is a legitimate one that Wethor and Spaeder show us with a good deal of patience and polish.
The friendship between these two even rubbed off on me when I felt myself disappointed in Sydney when we meet Liam. He’s a shallow lunkhead who can’t get over Sydney since she “decided” she was gay. Having grown fond of Sydney’s character, I was let down and puzzled as to why she would ever spend a minute with this guy, let alone date him. But she assures to us that she was confused, and yes, even faked her intimate moments.
This dialogue should have been enough for me to get over it, but I remembered another great aspect to coming-of-age films: They remind us of all the stupid decisions we made, and how we came out cleaner on the other side because of them.
This indie film is co-produced by Caymanian Jeremy Walton of Moo Studios and can be seen at Camana Bay Cinema though Thursday, 29 Jan. It is also available to watch on the Tubi streaming service.
Jarett Theberge is a US-based freelance entertainment journalist.
Related Videos
