Here begins a review of a film which is very difficult to find anywhere. As far as I know, it has never been released on dvd or vhs and has rarely been shown on television. Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu do not have it available for instant streaming. You can’t even watch it in 10 ten-minute segments on You Tube. The film of which I am speaking, or, in this case, writing, is “Jim, the World’s Greatest,” director Don Coscarelli’s first film. “Jim, the World’s Greatest” was made and, I guess, released somewhere in 1975. It states itself as a Universal release in the credits, however, I do not know if it ever was released in theaters. Since I did not know, I sent a Facebook message to Don Coscarelli. He responded and stated that it was released in a few test markets, but was never released in a wide release around the country. Coscarelli said that he thought there were several great performances in the film, especially that of Angus Scrimm (who is listed as Rory Guy in the opening credits). Coscarelli does not know of any future dvd release of the film. How about that for making it sound like I interviewed Don Coscarelli? I should have asked him more questions, but I did not want to take up too much of his time. Perhaps, though, if he would have known that the questions were for the internationally known and admired blog, “Epistemology Tonight,” he would have welcomed any further questions. Perhaps I will pursue it in the future.
I agree with Mr. Coscarelli’s assessment that there were many excellent performances in “Jim, the World’s Greatest.” The film is about a high school student named Jim Nolan (Gregory Harrison)who has a younger brother named Kelly (Robbie Wolcott). If you recognize Gregory Harrison in the film, you will probably recognize him from the 1979-86 tv show, “Trapper John M.D,” on which he played Dr. Gonzo Gates, the doctor who lived, by choice, in a trailer in the hospital parking lot. You may also remember him as Logan on the very short-lived 1977 tv series, “Logan’s Run,” which was based on the 1976 film. You may even know him from the 1985 Australian film, “Razorback,” which has nothing to do with the University of Arkansas. Jim and Kelly live with their alcoholic father, played wonderfully by Angus Scrimm. You may know Scrimm as “The Tall Man” in the four “Phantasm” films. He never speaks in the Phantasm movies, except for his appearance in “Phantasm: Oblivion” (the 4th film), in which he plays two parts. He plays a character named Dr. Jebediah Morningside in “Phantasm: Oblivion” and has the opportunity to speak and deliver a fine performance in that film. During the course of events in “Jim, the World’s Greatest,” we learn that something has happened to turn the father from a great father to Jim to an abusive father towards Kelly. Not only is he physically abusive towards Kelly, but, as referred to before, he has become an alcoholic.
It is rare in a film when one can feel sadness towards a character whom you should dislike. You get the sense that the father has undergone quite a bit of pain since the birth of Kelly and Scrimm’s performance is so wonderful, that you feel his sadness. This does not excuse his physical abuse of Kelly, of course, however, the character of the father is so well-written and well-performed, that the undertones of the character are clear and I felt sadness for him. Perhaps it is controversial or unpopular to say that I was moved by the character of an abusive alchoholic. So be it. I was moved. The performance of Robbie Wolcott as the younger brother, Kelly, was also very good. He did not play the character as a goofy little kid and it is to Coscarelli’s credit that he got the most out of the young actor. One of the many wonderful aspects of the film is the love between the two brothers portrayed in the film. Gregory Harrison does a great job of playing a young man who dislikes the father who used to be so loving towards him, but is now abusive towards Kelly. Jim loves his brother very much and is able to successfully juggle his school, job, and football team duties while, at the same time, has time for his little brother. Coscarelli would later write realistic familial relationships into the very good, “Kenny and Company” (which you can find on Netflix and I recommend) and even in the first “Phantasm” film. Yes, even the first “Phantasm” film.
Gregory Harrison’s performance was a bit surprising in that all I had seen in were episodes of “Trapper John” and “Logan’s Run.” He is fine on those shows, however, while good and entertaining, these series rarely afforded anyone in the cast with moments that would highlight their acting abilities. Harrison proves to own superb acting skills. After watching this film, I wondered why him and many other actors in Hollywood, who after performing so well in one film, are never offered meatier roles. Most of the reason is typecasting, which is unfortunate.
“Jim, the World’s Greatest” is a fantastic film about teenagers and high school/family life. If most films addressing these subjects were as deftly handled as this one, the teenager/high school drama genre would likely be more highly regarded. I do not mean to disparage the brilliance of films like “Screwballs,” “Joysticks,” or “Where the Boys Are ’84.” There is always a place in film history for these films, especially when dvd studios add commentary tracks to what, at that time, were considered to be throwaway T & A movies. Ok…..they are still considered to be throwaway T & A movies, however, they were made in the 80’s and some of the writers and directors of these films are now recorded talking about them on dvd. This is cool, even if some of those movies are lame. “Jim, the World’s Greatest” is a mature, very adult, but not in a dirty way, film. Anybody who sees it will likely be left feeling a variety of emotions upon finishing it.
Since it is not available on dvd, if you have any interest in watching “Jim, the World’s Greatest,” perhaps I can meet you somewhere and I can perform for you a one-man show version of this film. My acting range is not terribly vast, however, I would be happy to make a go of it.
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