| In Memory of My Father | |
| Director: | Chris Jaymes |
| Producer: | Chris Jaymes |
| Cinematography: | Abe Levy |
| Editing: | Eric Michael Cole Chris Jaymes |
| Studio: | Interspot Film |
| Distributor: | Sundance Channel |
| Runtime: | 96 minutes[1] |
| Music: | Daniel Teper |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
In Memory of My Father is a 2005 American black comedy film written and directed by Chris Jaymes. It stars Jeremy Sisto, Judy Greer, Matt Keeslar, Christine Lakin, Pat Healy, and Jaymes. The film had its world premiere at CineVegas in June 2005 and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Film.[2] The film was distributed by the Sundance Channel and Scanbox Entertainment.
Three brothers, Jeremy, Chris, and Matt, come together for the wake of their father, a Robert Evans-type film producer. Before his death, the father bribed youngest son Chris into making a film about his last moments. The wake devolves into a self-obsessed Hollywood party with the arrival of various guests, including Judy, who was the patriarch's young lover and is also having an affair with eldest son Matt, and Meadow, who through familial marriages and re-marriages, is both cousin and stepsister to the brothers.
The film was constructed within a three month period from conception to filming. The idea came about when producer David Austin asked Jaymes to write a screenplay for a film they could shoot on location at a mansion once owned by Samuel Goldwyn that he was about to sell.[3] The film was shot in four days. Post-production was completed in Vienna, Austria with the company Interspot Film. The film contains songs from Scottish band Belle & Sebastian.[1]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, In Memory of My Father has an approval rating of 67% based on 9 reviews.[4]
Robert Koehler of Variety said the film "eludes the trap of excessive familiarity with an acidic sense of humor and a superbly cast ensemble."[5] He noted "the extended, drug-fueled duo between Sisto and Cole is quite magical, while Greer is allowed to exercise her best comic instincts (especially in tandem with the deadpan Keeslar)", and described the film as a "lighter side of 'The Celebration,' both in terms of its ad-hoc and nervy approach to characters".
Writing in the Las Vegas Weekly, Matthew Scott Hunter said, "In the end, the film is just about bad people behaving badly, and yet it's surprisingly entertaining. The frequently hilarious dialogue has a loose, improvisational feel that makes the entire movie seem far more realistic than it is, and Jaymes' tight direction and constant intercutting of scenes moves the film along at a brisk pace. The performances are great all around, particularly the drugged-out antics of Jeremy and Eric (Eric Michael Cole). It may not be the most profound or realistic film, but it's a hell of a lot more fun than you'd expect from watching despicable people at a funeral."[6]