Jump, Darling is both a debut and a swan song. It features one of the final performances of Oscar winning actor Chloris Leachman and a strong break out of young actor Thomas Duplessie. Both can be proud of the work they do here. Leachman is graceful, subtle, and riveting as a woman choosing how she spends the last years of her life while Duplessie is gregarious, vulnerable, and does some of the best drag you'll see as her hot mess of a grandson. The two performances are bookends to careers that hold a great deal of promise.
The film itself is a bit jagged, often told in a patchwork manner that doesn't always flow nicely. There are moments when what happens really isn't clear. But despite some of the narrative clunkiness it is the performances at the centre of this story which make it all watchable.
Duplessie's drag is fantastic, more classic tragedy than camp. His queen is lost and sad and the performance is an expression of that. He's not the magical queer offering salvation to the straights around him. He's a lost soul desperate for redemption, which he finds no where near where he is looking for it, but in his connection to the legacy of his grandmother. I love that the film doesn't attempt to solve any of their problems. Really their journey isn't the kind where suddenly everything is better. Both get to a place of a bit more satisfaction but there isn't the kind of convenient self-actualization that often happens in this kind of narrative. Instead we just get to see two people help each other along a little bit.
So while Jump, Darling lacks some consistency, the two leads make up for in the honesty of their connection and their roles. It truly is a wonderful send off for the classic actor and a strong debut for a young actor just starting out.
Jump, Darling
Starring: Cloris Leachman, Thomas Duplessie, Linda Kash, Jayne Eastwood
Writer/Director: Phil Connell
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