Wildly uneven but sporadically affecting, Bobby Roth’s “Pearl” is .
A few abrupt narrative transitions indicate that some scenes, for whatever reason, must have been discarded during the editing process.
But what remains on screen is enough to hold attention and generate rooting interest, especially if you’re amused by inside-baseball allusions to the film and TV industry.There is an unmistakable air of autobiography to “Pearl,” along with the distinct flavor of a labor of love.
Writer-director Roth first attracted notice with two well-received indie films, “The Boss’ Son” (1978) and “Heartbreakers” (a 1984 Sundance Festival prize-winner) before concentrating almost exclusively (and prolifically) on TV movies and series television.
Jack Wolf, Lapaglia’s character, is a filmmaker who evidently has made some very bad, maybe unforgivable career moves, but still sells the occasional TV script.At one point, he lands a gig teaching filmmaking to college students — which Roth has successfully
Read full article