5/5/12: Mighty Fine Premiere and Actor Chat

I was very lucky to share in a very special experience the other night.  Along with many other bloggers I was able to see a premiere of the movie Mighty Fine which comes out on May 25th.  This film stars Chazz Palminteri, Andie Mac Dowell, Rainey Qualley (who is Andie MacDowell's daughter in real life) and Jodelle Ferland.  Directed and written by Debbie Goodstein

The movie does an excellent job of portraying a family going through a lot of turmoil due to the father Joe in the film that has serious rage issues and is a bit bi-polar. Being set in the 1970's this is before many of these emotional disorders had come to light. It showed his wife and two daughters as the victims of his abuse, but eventually portrayed the wife strongly by taking a stand against him. You really felt for these characters and I saw many people in the chat where the movie really hit home with them having been through it themselves.

One part I really enjoyed was when the younger daughter in the film wrote a poem. I found out in the Q and A session after that the writer of the movie actually wrote in Junior High. I thought this line was good: "There’s a monster in dad and it makes him wicked mad"
Here is a trailer for the movie:
It is amazing how far we have come with technology.  We were able to watch the premiere online and chat during the film with others watching it.  After the film we were able to ask questions of the actors.  Here is Chazz Palminteri in the live Q and A session.  This was such a unique experience and so phenomenal to be able to speak to them live and get their opinions on the characters they portrayed in the film.  We also learned that Chazz would meet with an on set psychiatrist that he would meet with to learn more about people with these disorders and how to portray the character effectively.

I like Chazz's response to his character and the warning that we all are all mirrors to our children.  He stated:  "We are all mirrors to our children.  Always be careful in what you say and what you do in front of your children."

 Here is our chat with the older daughter in the film Maddie which is played by Rainey Qualley.  It was funny to see her comment on the dynamic of acting in a film with her real life Mom and how her Mom would push her and push Chazz to challenge her.

She said some of the scenes were very intense but learned a lot and grew a lot as an actress acting in it.

This movie is only appearing in select theaters so check here to see if it is showing near you: http://mightyfine-themovie.com/theaters.html I highly suggest seeing the film if it is appearing near you.

More about the movie from the Mighty Fine Movie Website:

The story of "Mighty Fine" is fictional, but it draws to a great extent on writer/director Debbie Goodstein's vivid memories of her childhood. "My father had anger issues, ups and downs, and living in his world could be a bit of a rollercoaster ride," says Goodstein. "He loved his family but had self-destructive impulses and a rage that made life with him unpredictable and sometimes very scary." Many of Goodstein's friends also had fathers similar to her own, and she contrived the character of Joe Fine as a composite. Goodstein sees Joe as a creature of his time, someone who couldn't exist today: "Joe Fine is the king of his castle, like so many men of the seventies. But even then, things were changing rapidly, and men like Joe, with all their bravado and patriarchal dominance, were poised for extinction. Today, with so many women in the workplace, that castle has become more of a stronghold of equanimity."

You can like Mighty Fine the movie on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/mightyfinethemovie

And follow them on Twitter here: @MightyFineMovie

Disclosure:  I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Mighty Fine and the distributor. I received access to an online showing of the film and a promotional item to thank me for participating.