- Jack Goes Boating Stars Philip Seymour Hoffman - Copyright 2010 Overture Films
Adapted from the off-Broadway production by LAByrinth Theater Company, Jack Goes Boating is Philip Seymour Hoffman’s first time behind the camera. The original play began with actors Hoffman, John Ortiz, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Beth Cole. Amy Ryan takes over for Cole in the film version.
Philip Seymour Hoffman Directs New Romantic Comedy
In this romantic comedy, Jack (Hoffman), a reggae-loving stoner limo driver seeking a girlfriend begins a tentative relationship with Connie (Ryan), a woman who works with his friend at a Brooklyn funeral home. They inspire and teach each other new things, and try to make the other’s dreams come true.
Jack even takes swimming lessons in order to give Connie the romantic boat ride she’s always wanted to experience. As their relationship blossoms, however, the couple (Ortiz and Rubin-Vega) that introduced them finds their marriage disintegrating. The comedy – which is sometimes dark – evolves from the situations in which the characters find themselves, rather than from one-liners or gags.
New York Locations Crucial to the Film
The movie began principal photography in February 2010 in New York City, with an original anticipated theatrical release in 2011, now moved up to September 17, 2010. Filming locations include Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens using such iconic New York landmarks as Grand Central Station, Greenwich Village, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Hunter College, and Central Park.
Although New York settings are crucial to the story, the inside of the couple’s apartment where much of the action takes place was constructed on a soundstage. The constructed set enabled the filmmakers to shoot from unique points of view, such as through the bathroom medicine cabinet mirror.
The Cast and Crew of Jack Goes Boating
Philip Seymour Hoffman’s acting career includes a 2005 Best Actor in a Leading Role Academy Award for his portrayal of Truman Capote in Capote. He also had parts in Doubt, Charlie Wilson’s War, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Mission Impossible III, Boogie Nights, and Along Came Polly. Hoffman serves as director, executive producer, and star of Jack Goes Boating.
Amy Ryan (who starred as a neglectful mother in Gone Baby Gone) appears opposite Hoffman as his love interest. She worked with Hoffman previously in and Capote. She also appeared in Changeling and Dan in Real Life.
Daphne Rubin-Vega, who had roles in the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway shows Rent and Anna in the Tropics, also has a variety of film accomplishments including parts in Wild Things, Flawless, Sex and the City, and Rachel Getting Married.
John Ortiz, who executive produced the film with Hoffman, had roles in American Gangster, Public Enemies, and in television’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Touched by an Angel, and The Job.
Actor-director Tom McCarthy (director of and The Station Agent) takes on the role of Bob, the funeral parlor owner who runs a side-business selling self-help tapes to other morticians.
Bob Glaudini wrote the original stage play and the film adaptation for Jack Goes Boating. His many other writing credits include the long-running ABC series NYPD Blue and the plays The Claiming Race, Sickness of Youth, and The Poison Tree, all of which were presented in the Mark Taper Forum’s New Works Festival.
Jack Goes Boating
- Four New Yorkers struggle with the emotions of their waxing and waning romantic relationships.
- Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Ryan, John Ortiz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Tom McCarthy
- Director: Philip Seymour Hoffman
- Writer: Bob Glaudini
- Genre: Romantic Comedy
- Run Time: 89 minutes
- Rating: R (for language, drug use, and some sexual content)
- Click here to read a review of Jack Goes Boating.
To learn more about Philip Seymour Hoffman, visit Internet Movie Database.
Leslie C. Halpern - Leslie C. Halpern, Romantic Films/Comedies Topic Editor, authored Passionate About Their Work, Reel Romance, & Dreams on Film.
