{image1}When producer and director Allen Mindel set up shop on the streets of Bay View to film his full-length feature, "Milwaukee, Minnesota," Brew City was all abuzz with the news.
Because it's pretty rare for a film to be made here, especially one with recognizable talent like Bruce Dern and Randy Quaid, people gathered to watch the shoots and were giddy with excitement.
Although the film screened here once as part of the debut Milwaukee International Film Festival in autumn 2003, "Milwaukee, Minnesota" is just now making its official theatrical release at Landmark's Oriental Theatre, where it opens on Friday, June 3.
Go see it to get an idea of how our town looks on the silver screen, but don't get your hopes up too high. After the 95-minute drama opens, there may be a buzz, but it won't necessarily be one of excitement.
Albert Burroughs (Troy Garrity) is a mentally handicapped young man who lives with his mother Edna (Debra Monk) and works for family friend Mr. McNally (Dern) at his Kinnickinnic Avenue copy shop. But he's also made the news more than a few times for his savant-like ability to catch fish, which has led to some fairly big payout fishing tournament victories.
McNally has reasons for wanting to spend more time with Albert, but is denied at every step by the manipulative and bitchy Edna. When she is run down by a car and killed, Albert is left to fend for himself and it's not long before the vultures are circling.
One such predator is the two-headed, sister-and-brother monster of Tuey (Alison Folland) and Stan Stites (Hank Harris), who have just arrived in Milwaukee from Florida for unknown reasons. They run into Albert, learn of his prize money and want to help him spend it.
At the same time, Jerry James (Quaid), a huckster traveling salesman and all around shifty and slimy dude, arrives from Chicago and he's got similar designs on Albert's dough. He pretends to be Albert's long-lost father and appears ready to claim his loot.
But there are a few plot twists that come as a surprise and keep things interesting. However, the decent plot and its turns are never enough to overcome a script rendered in stilted dialogue and drab performances from even the most veteran cast members.
Folland and Harris, as the hypochondriac Stan -- as well as Garrity -- occasionally step it up, but aren't consistently inspired enough to carry the film.
That said, it's great fun to see KK Avenue on film -- and to notice that Bar Lulu and Palomino, for example, hadn't yet arrived when the pic was filmed -- and to be able to recognize locations on Jones Island, what appears to be the frozen pond at Humboldt Park, and the lunch counter at Goldmann's on Mitchell Street.
But make no mistake, "Milwaukee, Minnesota" is no homage to Milwaukee or Wisconsin. That's clear from the opening minutes when a voiceover says, "Wisconsin is one big, endless cavity; a perpetually rotten tooth."
Well, that's certainly the pot calling the kettle black.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
