Written by Tim
August 02, 2010
Leaving Metropolis is the film adaptation of Brad Fraser’s stage play, Poor Superman, which garnered rave reviews and had people flooding to the theater. I fear that the film may have fallen a bit short of it’s original incarnation.
The story revolves around David (Troy Ruptash) a successful artist who has come up against a block in his creativity. Remembering that he had done his best work while waiting tables, David makes the decision to try that approach again. He ends up working at a small diner that is owned and run by Matt and Violet (Corazza and Taylor). It’s a small diner, but business is picking up and David has some good ideas to get more customers. Matt and Violet seem to both be intrigued by David—he seems to somehow be in his element, yet still remains a mystery to them. They have no idea about his career as an artist.
There is chemistry between David and Matt from the start but Violet is pretty much blind to the attraction. David has found his muse and Matt is now questioning his sexuality. This can’t end well. As David’s angst builds, he turns to friends, Shannon (Thom Allison) his pre-op roommate and old friend Kryla (Boyd), who encourage him to admit he has feelings for Matt. The question is, how will Matt react to this information? David has to take that chance or he’ll never know…
Leaving Metropolis has good moments, bad moments, and moments that should’ve been left on the cutting room floor. The story tries to hold the metaphor of a strong stoic character (Superman) making his way through life, but copyright issues made that difficult to follow through on. The random references to Superman were confusing at best and could’ve been cut all together and not impacted the story.
After all the drama that is Leaving Metropolis, the movie ends on a note of hope and new beginnings. I guess that even the darkest situations will end and leave you at the starting point of another chapter. I’d say rent it if it’s raining, you have a free afternoon and $3.50 burning a hole in your pocket. David's paintings alone are worth the rental fee.
