Tim Timmerman, Hope of America

Special Showing One Night Only at AMC Orange Park August 1, 2017

Runtime: 94 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for brief drug content and suggestive material
Directed By: Cameron Sawyer
Written By: Cameron Sawyer & Justin Copier
Grade: C+

Cameron Sawyer’s Tim Timmerman, Hope of America is a comic story about a wise cracking teen at Mount Vista High School with the goal of attending Yale and becoming a politician.  Instead of attending class or studying, Tim would rather spend time using his privileges as student body president to cut class with his friends to grab burritos.  He is also focused on playing a live action Assassins game with Nerf style soft darts in order to win a $1,000 to buy a scooter.  

As student body president, Tim is in charge of the winter dance and has done nothing to plan for it when he meets Sydney, a hearing impaired student from rival school Taft.  She happens to be the student body president at Taft and invites Tim to collaborate on a canned food drive. He initially blows her off, but when he finds out her father is a U.S. Senator who is sponsoring an internship, he is determined to get to know her.  A real friendship develops with Sydney, but things get out of control when one of the pranks against Taft resurfaces and threatens all of their futures.

I thought that Sawyer did a convincing job with the small budget film. He pulled together a nice ensemble of relative unknown, but talented actors.  I especially enjoyed Chelsea Maidhof’s portrayal of Sydney and Henry Monfries as Jessop. Eddie Perino is engaging as the lead actor Tim Timmerman.

The film is straight forward and somewhat predictable, but overall entertaining with insightful messages. It is about growing up, owning up and taking responsibility.  In what appears to be his first feature as a cinematographer, Joel Remke, who has credits working on 127 Hours, does a solid job with little to no special effects.  

Tim Timmerman is aimed at attracting a teen and young adult audience, but anyone, especially adults that grew up in the 80s, will enjoy the likeness between it and John Hughes films such as The Breakfast Club.

Tim Timmerman, Hope for America was filmed in Salt Lake City.  It recently won the Audience Choice Award for the Best Film at the 2016 St. Louis International Film Festival.  It will play on Tuesday, August 1 at 8 p.m. at the AMC Orange Park.   Get your tickets now for an entertaining and worthwhile evening with your friends. ~ A.S. MacLeod

Starring:
Eddie Perino as Tim Timmerman
Laird Macintosh as Senator Pete Anderson
Chelsea Maidhof as Sydney Anderson
Seth Meriwether as Brandon Schlierman
Stephanie Drapeau as Monica Murphy
Andrew Caldwell as Garrett Stubbs
Henry Monfries as Jessop Jacobs