AFI Dallas Report: Berkeley Review

Sadie’s brush-off inspires Ben to search for his passion. He tries drugs and casual sex, and dabbles in music, writing, and politics. That latter brings him into the orbit of Henry (Jake Newton), a dedicated radical and rabble-rouser. Not so coincidentally, Henry has paired off with Sadie, which is OK with Ben because by now he’s found Alice (Sarah Carter). She’s shimmeringly beautiful and, not so coincidentally, the dean’s daughter.

The most inspired aspect of Berkeley is Ben’s indecisive course through the politically-charged waters of the time. Once he’s realized that accounting and middle-class aspirations are not for him, he flails around—he knows what he doesn’t want, but hasn’t decided what to do instead.

Ben’s meanderings and indecisiveness, as well as his efforts to sort out his romantic feelings for Sadie and Alice, all while maintaining a relationship with his traditional, conservative-values father, feel authentic. The performances by Laura Jordan (especially) and Sarah Carter are exquisite, Henry Winkler provides able support as Ben’s adled father, and Bonnie Bedelia has a nice turn as a very gounded professor and would-be mentor.

Berkeley is a feel-good movie about a groovy time, and could be enjoyed on that basis. (Audience members at the screening responded in kind.) It certainly has enough comedy, drama, music, romance, period details, and good-looking actors to fill its running time.

Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was watching a TV movie with cussing and brief nudity. Despite the good intentions of Bobby Roth, the story is simply too familiar without much new to say about the period. It recounts a series of events, pausing briefly at each one to comment, but not lingering long enough to unearth a fresh spin on the material. Nick Roth hits all the right marks, but is easily overshadowed by his castmates. As noted, he is a very pleasant young man who is meant to change dramatically into something of an independent-minded radical thinker, yet the actor, at least at this point of his career, is not well-suited for the lead role.

Perhaps my disappointment can be chalked up to unrealistic expectations. With a movie set in Berkeley during the late 1960s, written by someone who was there, I was hoping for more insight and depth, something that could really charge someone up and make the obvious parallels to modern day events more inciting.

BERKELEY
Official Web Site
Trailer (Embedded; streaming)
AFI Dallas - web site