MoPoshy
Absolutely brilliant
Grimossfer
Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%
Darin
One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
ambrcornelio
As described with the summary above, this review gave question upon question. The film starts out as quiet, scientific college graduate Preston isn't walking the stage for his university's graduation. He sits in a lab (which by coincidence, is open, and there just HAPPENS to be a full bottle of whiskey) and drinks out of a beaker along with his sorrows. His professor comes in and pours out such adoration towards this bum, and says how great he was. Super cliché, no one really cares. He ends up going to this party and meets this girl, and they go to the bathroom together, super sketchy. Ends up escaping, and then she basically cons him into driving her down to an island where her family resides along with the hotel they own.Super sketchy, asking some random guy that just rescued you from a bathroom to drive you home, but it's indie Hollywood, we'll forget it. Preston and Kate (the terribly clingy girl) meet her parents, and shortly Preston meets this guy who turns out to be Kate's grandfather. Later at dinner that evening, Preston drops the bomb of how he met him, and the mother and Kate go crazy, leaving Preston misunderstood. Poor guy, no one told him ANYTHING, and the grandfather was a heck of a lot more understanding and kind then the crazy parents.Long story short, there was a case claiming the grandfather raped his granddaughter, Kate, and it was entirely untrue. The mother made it up so she could get land to have their hotel on, totally ridiculous and crazy. Preston finds this out, and then Kate goes all crazy for him seeing him various times in this however long period. The grandfather commits suicide in the lobby of the hotel, and the mother claims she did what she could to "protect her daughter".This movie was terrible, too. It had super dark points that lead no where, and the characters were too crazy and didn't add up to anything in the plot. Preston was too gentle to be around these people, and the mother was a whole other movie that could've been made and would've sucked. There was no plot, no point, and nothing made sense.
napierslogs
Preston Plummer (Trevor Morgan) is graduating from university with the feeling of never really having loved anything. At a party he meets a girl who wants him to drive her home. Not just college home, but home, home – in another state. She needs to go home and he needs an adventure which he never got to experience. "The Diary of Preston Plummer" is about the long journey home — physically, emotionally and spiritually.It's a large scope story told in a small way with some of the best writing I could ever imagine. Kate (the girl) doesn't understand the universe because of her family's troubled past and she doesn't know how to make things just work out. Preston does understand the universe, in a physics scholar kind of way. He studies entropy and although he doesn't understand what has happened in Kate's past, he wants to use his dark and dismal explanation of the expansion of the universe and actually help her. As he falls in love with her, he finds a non-genius, personal way of helping her.The reasons this is such a great film is because it's not nearly as obtuse as my previous paragraph might make it out to be. The plot can be explained any number of ways. It's a romantic drama where both boy and girl need to overcome their troubled past to fully love themselves and each other. The film is also told as a simple mystery. As has been greatly hinted to, something is not quite right with Kate's family. Preston takes it upon himself to figure out what they think occurred and what actually occurred. That certainly is interesting in and of itself, but I was riveted from the very beginning based on the character of Preston Plummer alone.He's a genius, but he doesn't see himself as one. He was lonely in school but doesn't realize that he was until he starts discovering what love is. His childhood wasn't perfect, but he doesn't let that define him. I connected with him as soon as his many characteristics were revealed, I fell in love with him, and I wanted to go on this "adventure" with him. I use the term "adventure" loosely since this is not how Hollywood defines it. It's a slowly engrossing, lonely journey to a simple love story.Trevor Morgan as Preston Plummer was perfect. He's a realistic kind of character, but completely lovable, endearing and sympathetic from the start. I wasn't as sold on Kate, she was sort of this mystery person to me, but that also could have just been jealousy. The romance element was enveloping; more realistic and down-to-Earth than any romantic dramas I have seen. But it's not just a romantic drama, it's a heartfelt character study, a mysterious journey, and an explanation of the Universe's tendency to make life fall apart. "The Diary of Preston Plummer" is nearing perfection.
dantes15
An Excellent film! The Diary of Preston Plummer is very thoughtful and engaging movie that allows the viewer to enter into the complicated worlds of its characters. The movie drew me into that world from its opening scene and I found myself more and more curious about their lives as the movie progressed. Ultimately there is a parallel with the journey of discovery and decision that the chief characters encounter with the journey that we all take in our lives. How do we reconcile our past? Do we take the chances that the moment presents to us? Do we follow our rational or emotional side? Can time answer many questions that our intellect flounders at? These themes are raised with an elegant plot and translated with superb acting. Dr. Ackerman's (the director) cinematography is exquisite with an eye for framing scenes and long-shots that bears some comparison to Terrence Malick's works. Dr. Ackerman has a keen eye for observation and sense of feeling, and although he does a phenomenal job of capturing and conveying the subtle transition of land, ocean and sky in the outdoor shots of the marshes, shores, clouds and Sunsets of Florida (I honestly felt I was watching an episode of the BBC's Planet Earth), what is more exquisite is that these scenes speak a narrative of beauty that gives voice and credence to one of the character's visions of this land. In an age where an average indie movies cost millions, it is true genius to make this movie on a budget of (merely) $125,000. Bravo to Dr. Ackerman for his vision and for his artistic integrity. I look forward to his next film.
mhodonnell
I was very pleased and impressed by this movie - made on a shoestring budget, it had all the elements that so many "major" movies lack: a good story line, strong filmography, unexpectedly solid acting. I would strongly recommend this. The backstory on the movie's writer, director and producer is almost as interesting -- he's currently a resident physician completing his training in child psychiatry in Burlington, Vermont. One can see why he was attracted to psychiatry, or perhaps it was his training in that discipline that allowed him to explore the nuances of relationships so well in this movie. I am hoping he continues his creative career even as he practices his profession.
