When Jeff Tried to Save the World – Movie Review
ABC Film Challenge – Comedy – K (Kendall Goldberg)
Director: Kendall Goldberg
Writer: Rachel Borgo, Kendall Goldberg (Screenplay)
Cast
- Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite)
- Brendan Meyer (Colour out of Space)
- Anna Konkle (Pen 15)
- Maya Erskine (Wine Country)
- Candi Milo (My Life as a Teenage Robot)
- Steve Berg (Don’t Worry Darling)
Plot: When the manager of an old-school bowling alley discovers the owner’s plans to sell, saving Winky’s World means pulling himself out of the gutter, too.
Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: When Jeff Tried to Save the World starts when Jeff (Heder) learns his bowling alley is closing down. The owner Sheila (Milo) has no other option but to accept the offer. However, Jeff decides to prove the bowling alley is still important and sets off to save it.
Meanwhile, his sister Lindy (Konkle) and friend Samantha (Erskine) unexpectedly visit him. However, nobody in Jeff’s life knows he works in a bowling alley. As Jeff looks to save the bowling alley, he must also learn to accept his life outside of work.
Verdict on When Jeff Tried to Save the World
When Jeff Tried to Save the World is a comedy following a smart man who works at a bowling alley. He has managed the alley for years and now he faces a questionable future after the owner looks to sell the building.
This movie plays into the daily struggles of small businesses facing closure suddenly. It follows one man who has only ever worked there and sees his world closing in on him as he is about to lose everything he knows. This highlights the danger in the economy where people are moving away from things that are safe instead of taking risks for themselves. While the message is clear and the comedy is restrained, the important side comes through strong.
Where to Watch
Final Thoughts – When Jeff Tried to Save the World has a nice story, but struggles to stand out.
