Jump, Darling
Jump, Darling is a Canadian drama film directed by Phil Connell, which premiered in 2020.[1] The film stars Thomas Duplessie as Russell, a rookie drag queen reeling from a break-up, who escapes to Prince Edward County, where he finds his grandmother Margaret (Cloris Leachman) in steep decline yet desperate to avoid the local nursing home.[2]
Jump, Darling | |
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Film poster | |
Directed by | Phil Connell |
Produced by | Phil Connell Katie Corbidge |
Written by | Phil Connell |
Starring | Cloris Leachman Thomas Duplessie Linda Kash Jayne Eastwood |
Music by | Harry Knazan |
Cinematography | Viktor Cahoj |
Edited by | Lev Lewis |
Production company | Big Island Productions 2645850 Ontario |
Distributed by | LevelFILM |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | Canada |
Language | English |
The film's cast also includes Linda Kash as Russell's mother Ene and Jayne Eastwood as town busybody Jeanne, as well as real-life Toronto drag queens Tynomi Banks, Miss Fiercelicious and Faye Slift.[2]
The film was supported by the Inside Out Film and Video Festival's LGBTQ Finance Forum in 2017,[3] and Leachman's casting was announced in 2019.[2] The film was also supported by Telefilm Canada's Talent to Watch program for emerging filmmakers, and will be distributed in Canada by LevelFILM.[4]
The film screened in an exclusive preview presentation to a hometown crowd hosted by Inside Out in 2020.[5] It is slated for commercial release in 2021.
Critical response
Writing for The Queer Review, Glenn Gaylord praised Duplessie and Leachman's performances, stating that Duplessie made Russell's drag performances so strong that "he could win every Lip Sync For Your Life moment on Canada's Drag Race", and applauding Leachman's ability to give such a strong and fearless performance at age 94. Of Leachman, he wrote that "you can’t easily manufacture her presence, her force, and her power. You see every wrinkle, every aging bone, and every slow, careful movement. I savored it, knowing this could easily be one of her last picture shows."[6]
References
- Lauren Malyk, "Jump, Darling, Well Rounded land at Inside Out". Playback, September 9, 2020.
- Dino-Ray Ramos, "Cloris Leachman To Star In LGBTQ Family Drama ‘Jump, Darling’". Deadline Hollywood, June 3, 2019.
- Regan Reid, "Inside Out launches financing forum". Playback, May 15, 2017.
- Jordan Pinto, "LevelFILM to distribute Phil Connell’s Jump, Darling". Playback, June 4, 2019.
- Kevin Ritchie, "Inside Out lines up Beverly Glenn-Copeland doc, The Boys In The Band". Now, September 10, 2020.
- Glenn Gaylord, "Inside Out 2020 Film Review: Jump, Darling". The Queer Review, October 4, 2020.