CINCINNATI, Ohio — Movie Musical Ode to Passion was supposed to premiere at the Queens World Film Festival back in March, but the plague put the kaibosh on that. So it has gone to Amazon Prime Video. It is the first feature-length film by Writer/Director Jack Danini with 19 original songs written in 80s rock-ballad style with shades of country. From the opening strains of a wailing base guitar and a forlorn lover clutching a thorny red rose, we know that this story does not end happily.
Lovers of classical theatre will appreciate his dialogue of rhyming couplets akin to Shakespeare and Moliere. Like Romeo & Juliet, it’s love at first sight for the starry-eyed Michael (Giuseppe Bausilio) and the waif-like Sarah (Julia Nightingale). Michael introduces himself by sneaking up behind Sarah and whispering in her ear. This seemed rather creepy and more likely to get a drink in the face than a phone number. But then she goes with him on a walk through the park … at night … with a total stranger. An impulsive romantic, Michael professes his undying love … on their first date.
In true musical fashion, the characters break into song on the subway and wherever. I enjoyed the little homage to Grease as Michael and Sarah tell their friends, John and Alexa respectively, about their new found loves.
It isn’t long before Sarah’s issues with alcohol and drugs turn this love boat south. Instead of cutting the lines, Michael stays tethered, trying to save her from herself … as if that ever works. She promises to change, but of course she doesn’t. Then again, his own coping skills lay in a bottle, so he’s not much better.
Danini’s songs tend to blur together, lacking distinction. Also, the other characters feel underdeveloped. We get some insight into Michael’s friend John (ably played by Jeff Smith), who is a struggling writer turned schoolteacher, and Alexa (Victoria Meade) a tall and sexy, coked up actress. But they are clearly playing the “friends,” not members of an ensemble.
Father Conor (Al Pageno), as Michael’s priest and confessor, is the wisest character, listening to Michael talk through his struggles and advising caution. He seems to know a lot about the complexities of love for a man who took a vow of celibacy.
Richy (Marcus Harmon) is the walking-cliché “black friend.” His solo has a smooth Motown vibe as he warns that Sarah is trouble. But of course, his warnings go unheeded. Curiously, Richy has “Ahavah” tattooed in Hebrew characters on his neck. Of all of the characters, he was the one I wanted to know more about.
Richy is just the kind of character that many black actors complain they are relegated to. Audiences like them because they are charming, loyal, street-smart and entertaining. But they are underwritten and lack complexity, playing the “black friend” to the romantic leads and not working through crises of their own. Marcus Harmon has definite potential. I would like to see him break out of the “black-tor” box and into roles that let him shine.
Jack Danini’s Ode to Passion is available for viewing on Amazon Prime Video July 10.
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Eric Tauber is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. He may be contacted via eric.tauber@sdjewishworld.com