Tucked

source: Tucked

source: Tucked

I am so pleased I Googled Derren Nesbitt and discovered this smashing film. How well I remember him from the 60s onwards, with those piercing blue eyes and ability to chill the soul! He is simply excellent in this film & makes a very touching partner to Jordan Stephens, who balances the act very well. I wish it had received a wider release - it deserves to have done.

I'm so pleased a Googled Derren Nesbitt last night. How we.

Nice enough story but acting was a bit flat. Jordon is new to acting but if he pursues acting hopefully he'll be a little less flat.

I stumbled on this film on Amazon and was pleased. Very heartwarming and sad at the same time and I found the acting quite good especially the lead actor who played Jackie. I am surprised this film did not get more attention.

Tucked is a beautiful film about age, gender identity, sexuality and the losses that we experience as we move through life. Derren Nesbit is wonderful as Jackie, an elderly drag queen who befriends a young drag queen who is gay called Faith played by Jordan Stephens. Jackie is told that he is dying of cancer so he decides to start doing things he has always wanted to do and to try and reconciliate with his estranged daughter. When he discovers Faith sleeping in his car because his father has thrown him out, Jackie takes him in and the two form a bond together. This is s sweet and touching film and even though it is about a man who is dying, it is ultimately life affirming. There is a gentleness to the story as it slowly unfolds. A kindness in the simple conversations and gestures of the characters as they go about their lives. This is a rare film, one that is as deep and as complex, yet and simple as a modern fairytale about a beautiful aging queen that is nearing her end and still has things that he needs to accomplish in order to be at peace. I highly recommend this film to anyone that loves film making at its finest.

Did you know, movies are really hard to get made, to find the money, to find a company to make it & then to actually make it, finish it & get it released - It's Tough!! So when, in the opening scene of your 'masterpiece', you let the actor down & irritate the audience, so much so that they don't want to continue watching, do you think you should have thought about it a little more?!?! I prefer 'live' singing, but one of the tricks in a drag artists bag, is to 'lipsync' to a song or even a film scene & get every word mouthed perfectly. Have you seen Rupaul's Drag Race, fail in the closing lipsync battle & you're booted off the show. Our lead here then, an 80 year old, veteran artiste, not suffering from any memory loss that I can perceive, performs a drag classic, Gloria Gaynor's, I Will Survive. The poor actor, Darren Nesbitt, a veteran performer of 60 years, did not know the words. OK, fine, shoot him from the front, with screens or cue cards in front for him to read, NOT from behind & the side so you can see he doesn't know the words & he's not able to read them!!! This shows so little care not only towards the actor, but the audience as well, does the director, Jamie Patterson, think we're stupid & that we won't notice? If he cares that little about the viewer right from the start, I lose all confidence in the rest of the film, there's so much else to watch today, you can't let your audience down for even a second. Skipping ahead a little & for what it's worth, Nesbitt, of course does a great job, but 'Faith', his protégé or drag daughter, is as flat as a pancake, so thank movie, but I'll pass. If I was lucky enough to ever 'make' a movie, I would make sure that I didn't fail in under 60 seconds, what a shame!

Writer and director Jamie Patterson is the co-founder of Jump Start Productions and has both written and directed many British films. He brings to life the world of drag queens in this sparkling film released in 2017 in the UK, winning awards in the 2018 Los Angeles Outfest Film Festival. The film opens in a LGBTQ+ nightclub with elderly Jackie Collins (Derren Nesbitt) lip-syncing a song then delivering some of the funniest audience-focused jokes of any stand up comedienne. Jackie is not gay: he has always had an affinity for dressing in women's clothes, was married to a woman who died of cancer, and has a estranged daughter Lily (April Pearson) whom he has not seen in years. Jackie encounters a young drag queen Faith (Jordan Stephens), sees that Faith is sleeping in his car, and invites him home. The pair's discussions about their gender - Faith is a male who prefers to be seen as female but is tenuous as to gender declaration - provide a very fine exploration about gender assignment and choice. Their friendship grows in importance. Jackie has been informed that he has only six weeks to live (terminal carcinoma) and decides to continue his life as a performing drag queen to fill his time, and while Faith advises him to contact his daughter about his diagnosis, Jackie declines. April, whose wedding is approaching, appears at one of Jackie's shows and the result provides a touching conclusion. Derren Nesbitt is superb in this tough role, allowing us to appreciate his character's conflicts while performing some of the most hilarious stage jokes on film! Jordan Stephens, an established recording artist, offers a strong portrait as Faith. The two actors employ Jamie Patterson's story to offer a fine overview of how to be themselves in a lifestyle few understand. The film is both an excellent LGBTQ+ story and an excellent, entertaining and touching experience.

There is a good idea behind the film and generally the lead 2 were likeable however it did have the feel of a TV movie in my opinion and the rest of the cast didn't seem to be on the same level. There were moments I was really buying into it but others where it was misfiring. With a few changes from the writers and an increased running time could certainly have been better then ending especially seemed rushed which is suprising given its short lengths and the powerful scenes that could potentially have been had at the weeding leading up to it and following. Still not a bad film but not enough to stand out for me.