The fish-out-of-water story is tried and true. The trick is to find a new spin on it, which is exactly what writers-producers Gibson Frazier and Adam Abraham (who also directed) have accomplished in the breezy comedy-drama "Man of the Century."
Their conceit is to take Johnny Twennies (the dimple-chinned Frazier), a fast-talking newspaperman who would be more at home in the offices of "The Front Page," and drop him into contemporary society. Part of the fun of this film is watching the culture clash between Johnny and those with whom he interacts. Some play along, like the owner of a record store who stocks the "latest" by Rudolf Friml, while others like the newspaper photographer (Anthony Rapp) are befuddled.
His gallery owner-girlfriend Samantha (Susan Egan, the gamin Broadway ingenue who voiced Meg in Disney's "Hercules") is frustrated by his sense of decency, yet attracted to him nonetheless.
The writers concocted a fairly simple story about Johnny having only 24 hours to come up with a major story for his newspaper or he'll be fired. He is also being pressured by two thugs to write a story claiming that a notorious mobster has been killed. Along the way, he assists a mugging victim (Cara Buono) whose gratefulness to her white knight is misinterpreted by Samantha and those chasing Johnny; contends with his imperious mother (Anne Jackson looking as if she stepped out of a John Singer Sargent painting) bent on marrying him off to a socialite; and follows leads for his story.
Beautifully shot in black-and-white to give it the feel of the studio films of the '30s and '40s, "Man of the Century" rises and falls on Frazier's performance, which is letter-perfect. With his matinee-idol looks and jaunty acting style, he makes the character of Johnny believable, especially when spouting lines like "You keep ridin' me like this and you're gonna have to pay the fare" and "Let's say we fidget the digit."
The supporting cast, primarily drawn from the theater -- Bobby Short, Frank Gorshin, Donald Margulies and Brian Davies -- are character actors that recall the kind of studio players (e.g., Edward Everett Horton and Edna May Oliver) that are rarely seen in today's movies. ("They had faces then" indeed!) And because the film was made on a relatively low-budget, special mention must be made of the production design of Zeljka Pavlinovic (art deco meets Greenwich Village chic) and the costume design by Claudia Hill (ranging from a leather get-up for Gorshin to Johnny's seersucker suit), both of which add the right flair.
To some, "Man of the Century," the surprise winner at this year's Slamdance Film Festival, is a one-joke film and perhaps such an argument could be made. But what a joke! To attempt to create a pastiche of and an homage to classic films and, more importantly, to succeed, takes, as Johnny Twennies would say, moxie.
For witty and lighthearted entertainment, you can't do better.
*MPAA rating: R, for language.
'Man of the Century'
Brian Davies: Samantha Winter
Cara Buono: Virginia
Gibson Frazier: Johnny Twennies
Susan Egan: Samantha Winter
Anthony Rapp: Timothy Burns
Dwight Ewell: Richard Lancaster
Frank Gorshin: Roman Navarro
A Fine Line Features presentation. Director Adam Abraham. Writers Gibson Frazier and Adam Abraham. Producers Adam Abraham and Gibson Frazier. Music Michael Weiner. Cinematographer Matthew Jensen. Editor Frank Reynolds. Production Designer Zeljka Pavlinovic. Running time 1 hour, 20 minutes.