Director Jonathan Hammond
Writers: Jonathan Hammon & Ryan Roach
Stars: Emily Goss, Nick Ballard, Hale Appleman, Drew Droege
Victorian Maiden Charlotte and modern day office worker Zachary share love letters with one another through a time portal. As the romance starts to grow Charlotte’s mother Edith decides to marry her off to family friend Cecil. Clearly unhappy with this, Charlotte hurls herself through the portal to be with her true love Zachary, closely followed by Cecil. The lovers are ecstatic with their reunion in person but a romance across oceans of time proves challenging in the modern world.
Take the plot from ‘The Lake House’, throw in some elements of ‘You’ve Got Mail’, ‘The Office’ and a dash of ‘Bridgerton’ and you have this delightful rom-com with a dark twist. Jonathan Hammond and Ryan Coach’s parodical comedy is charming and funny with tone similar to a Mel Brooks movie. It’s a story with plenty of daft zaniness that revels in being silly but be warned appearances can be misleading.
Their zany comedy bends the rules of time travel tales at every turn. Players on both sides of the temporal fence treat the time hop as if it were normal and no consideration given to any paradoxical consequences . If this makes you raise hands with a puzzled amused WTF expression it’s likely that was the intention. Many such moments are included and delivered with stellar comic timing from a cast clearly having too much fun.
Star Crossed Lovers
Emily Goss and Nick Ballard as the time hopping couple handle all the tropes of the schmaltzy long distance romance with perfect comic timing. Their chalk and cheese dynamic blended with deliberate cringeworthy vernacular provides plenty of laughs. Charlotte and Zachary’s romance hits a wall with some brief serious levity of cultural clashes and the challenges of long distance relationships. The cast certainly look as if they’re having fun with the story. Veteran Amy Yasbeck, shines as the parental antogonist Edith dusting off her ‘Robin Hood: Men In Tights’ accent for the occasion.
By contrast Hammond and Roach present an unexpected romance with Charlotte’s friend Cecil (Hale Appleman) taking a shine to this new world introduced to him by Zachary’s boss Martin (Drew Droeoge). Hammond and Roach add a further dimension to keep audience interest contrasting Cecil and Charlotte’s adjustment to modern times. The addition of tension in one couple versus childlike wonderment with the other adds an interesting dimension to the story. As director, Hammond manages the drama and rom-com mix with a steady pace keeping the viewer on their toes. This mix and match of chaotic interplay sets the viewer up for a sharp left turn in the story with dark undertones, that’s sure to leave viewers agog.
A Rom Com Time Hopping Delight.
If time travelling romantic comedies with a twist is to your taste then ‘Fireflies in the Dusk’ is a must watch. The film never loses pace, packed with plenty of zany silliness, deliberate cringe inducing dialog, and charming romance to keep you hooked and entertained. The cast, who obviously enjoyed the interplay bring charm and delight into their roles, being in on the change of direction to come. If the influences inferred in the script are deliberate then Jonathan Hammond and Ryan Roach have taken tried and tested story elements to create something uniquely entertaining.