Oh my, Henry Jaglom. Director. Of American Dreams. It's my first Jaglom film, and let me say, I'm not eager for the next. It's a small story about an Iowa girl emotionally and financially beat in L.A. Margie (Tanna Frederick) is dying to be a famous actress--not just an "actress," but "famous." That's the primary distinction to be made with this character, who has no life of her own, no friends, or real sense of self, so naturally her push for fame is understandable. Fame is her permanent escape from reality. After I saw the movie I asked a friend if he'd ever seen any Jaglom before. He answered no, but that he has heard him referred to as the Woody Allen of the west coast. And for a minute, Hollywood Dreams made a bit of sense: one of the film's main features are the near aerial views of L.A. from the Hollywood hills, or along the city's cafe neighborhoods--the ones that Margie and teams of other struggling actors inhabit.
But that interest is superficial. I can't stop thinking of Tanna's horribly annoying character, written with too much hyperbole to make any sense of. If the comparison between Jaglom and Allen holds true, at least Woody makes us fall in love with his city, and often with the help of some pretty witty characters; Jaglom makes us want to sprint as fast as we can away from L.A., from the endless, manic auditioning process.
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