Review - A Jingle A Go-Go: The Musical

Review by: Luci Döll

Cast: David Barrow Wiley, George Ramirez, Jason Little and Pieter Wiemken
Director: Spencer Frankeberger
Synopsis: David Barrow Wiley stars as Robert, who is struggling with songwriter’s block as he tries to come up with a Jingle for Lucious Lips Lipstick. He finds his cry for help answered from unexpected quarters. This short film is very much like lipstick, it’s fun and it’s cute, and it wears off fast.

Review:
Spencer Frankeberger takes advantage of his skills in film production and music therapy to bring us this short musical film, which, in the blink of an eye, jumps from the familiar to utterly camp.

David Barrow Wiley is brilliant in the opening scenes, with almost delicately nuanced acting. He is able to convey frustration with something as innocuous as a nose-flare. He bounces a stress ball in his hands, begging the Lord for a sign. The stress ball misses his hand and bounces off the screen, taking with it all attempts at delicate nuance as the film quickly falls into all the clichés of musical theatre, complete with Dickens references, chorus girls, theatrical lighting, over-the-top acting and yes, a disco-ball. Spenser Frankeberger promises a musical in the title of the film, and he not only delivers a musical, he rubs your face in it.

In terms of structure, the film is flawless. The cinematography captures the tone for both the "serious" and the "camp" sections beautifully. The editing is crisp, and keeps the pacing of the film spot on. The production designer deserves special mention, creating sets that allow for perfect suspension of belief.

Any film which boldly announces itself as “The Musical” should expect to be critiqued on its music. The film features an original score by Joseph P. Sabatino, which I find confusing. It carelessly flips from absolute dissonance, to moments of extraordinarily beautiful harmony, before resolving into the (spoiler alert!) "magical" jingle Robert has been seeking. I don’t think that people will be rushing to iTunes to download this soundtrack.

Short film is a notoriously difficult genre, but I think the director achieved his goals with A Jingle A Go-Go: The Musical. While the film does not really break any new ground, it will definitely keep you entertained for the entire six minutes you devote to it.

Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆ (Worth Watching)