This past Wednesday was the launch of yet another South African movie (yay!!). It is always good to see more and more SA films - it seems like the days of having only 5 SA films a year are done and dusted, but was this a good addition to the roster? Let's dig in...
The Jakes Are Missing is another romantic comedy (yes guys, another one) that comes hot on the heels of Tell Me Sweet Something, Nothing for Mahala and Between Friends.
Like the movies before it, The Jakes is a romantic comedy (but with a family movie slant to it), where everything is kept extremely light; the leads are “aspirational” and you are kept in a bubble for the duration of the film.
This can be a good thing if you are a fan of those kind of films but if you are not, it comes across as too whimsical. Almost like death by the Hallmark channel. We see another imagined rainbow nation on steroids that really does not speak to most viewers' lived experiences.
Yet The Jakes Are Missing has some great things going for it, through its cast and messaging. There's the huge ensemble cast - from Jody Abrahams who's quite funny as a wannabe gangster leader, to Celeste Ntuli and her crew of conniving desperate bachelorettes, to the nuclear family whom we follow through the story. Bianca Isaacs(writer/producer) has got her performers to commit to their roles and there are some cool performances.
Although the film's message about second chances and love is quite affirming, I really found it a pity that the film choses to stick so narrowly to genre conventions, especially in its tone and plot choices.
The film was just too safe for me, very careful not to rock the status quo, it ticks the boxes of American genre tropes to the T. Which made the story too generic, the South African small-town-feel does not come across as genuine as it could have , instead it comes across more as an idealized version, which is a pity.
Yet, if you are someone who wants to watch a movie with the entire family that will not shake you or scar your kids, this could be for you but if you like your movies (even if they're romantic comedies) with a little more edge to them then stay far, far, far away from this.
The Jakes Are Missing releases on the 23 October 2015 nationwide.
Rating **
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
index
* Junk **Almost bearable ***Now we cooking **** Almost perfect ***** Classic
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++