WFG RATING: A

A Right Direction Studios production. Written and directed by Mike Montagna. Produced by Mike Montagna and Roy Shellef. Cinematography by Rocket Scott. Edited by Steven Dickson.

Stars Joseph Lopez, Leota Rhodes, Ray Buffer, and Rebecca Ritz.

An actress looking for a new role gets more than she bargained for in this 1950s set film from director Mike Montagna.

At a local clinic in 1955, Ms. Spiegelman ensures that the patients there are taking their medications and attending therapy sessions. When Ms. Donen, an aspiring actress who is there to learn method acting, arrives, she intends to follow the rules placed upon her by Ms. Spiegelman. However, things slowly don’t go as planned. Intending to learn what it’s like to suffer, she ends up making the other residents smile and love life for the first time in a long time. This displeases Ms. Spiegelman, who is given an ultimatum by her higher-ups.

This film from Mike Montagna is quite interesting not only because of its period setting of 1950s, but show what can happen if a business is at risk due to the actions of one person.In this case, it’s an actress who is trying to learn “method acting” only to do the reverse and instead of suffering, she brings the others joy much to the chagrin of the boss. There is an opening narration from an important character who appears shortly after our protagonist appears as it is his flashback of the events we get to see here. 

The cast in the film is terrific. Joseph Lopez is great as Elliot Newman, a former screenwriter who is in the clinic feeling some sort of remorse. It is Eliot who serves as the narrator of the film who spends a lot of time at his typewriter. Leota Rhodes is excellent in the role of Ms. Donen. She has this elegant look of a classic Hollywood starlet and is looking for something different. She even tells one of the other residents how bad she feels because she wants to learn how to suffer and can’t even do that. 

Those familiar with YouTube, particularly with the Dhar Mann channel will definitely recognize Rebecca Ritz, who plays Ms. Spiegelman here. She pretty much plays the same role she would play on the Dhar Mann channel in terms of her “Karen” brand role. She is a great performer when it comes to playing hard-edged authority figures. Granted, she has played nice roles but it’s the ones where she plays the no-nonsense type that really brings out the best in her and it shows here.The final moments round it all out and it does keep you at the edge of your seat in some ways because you’re hoping it goes the way you hope.

Sunset Boulevard is a fun homage to classic Hollywood in terms of the world of acting as well as adding a dash of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest where we have Nurse Spiegelman being this millennium’s answer to Nurse Ratchet. A great cast makes this more exciting to watch.

The film is looking to get into film festivals. Thanks to EMR Media for the invite to see the film.