Hedonism At the Heartbreak Hotel

It's a Complex World

Directed by James Wolpaw. Distributed by Hemdale Films, Produced by Hearbreak Hits. Playing at the Copley Theater.

You can't judge a movie by its preview, at least not in the case of It's a Complex World. A trailer advertising this new film has been mystifying audiences for the past month at the Harvard Square Loews--how could a movie like this come out of Hollywood?

It didn't. It's a Complex World is an independent feature from Providence, Rhode Island. By Hollywood standards, the movie defies description. Maybe that's why the preview is so bizarre.

But don't let the preview keep you away. Despite a necessarily amateurish air and Providence production values, It's a Complex World is a genuinely entertaining film. Moreover, it's a breath of fresh air compared to the market driven pre-fabricated movies that fill the cineplexes these days.

It's a Complex World is a complex film. The press release describes it as a "rock-and-roll terrorist comedy," but that's only half the picture. The only thing constant in an endless stream of bizarre events is the Heartbreak Hotel, the classic rock-and-roll bar, a haven for bikers, drunk college students and girls in miniskirts.

For everyone else, the bar exemplifies everything vulgar and immoral in America.

The mayor (producer Rich Lupo) wants to turn it into a mall. Fascist-for-President Robert Burgess (Bob Owczarek) wants to make a martyr of the owner, who happens to be his son. And a group of stooge-like European terrorists just want to blow it up.

Unfortunately, they've chosen the wrong bar. A place as popular as the Heartbreak Hotel gets plenty of prank calls, bomb threats among them. So when a would-be terrorist (Daniel Von Bargen) calls to makes his demands, owner Jeff Burgess (Dan Welch) is nonchalant. "Sorry," he quips, "we don't take bomb threats over the phone."

The rest of It's a Complex World is chaos.

Between extended musical sequences, the movie develops at least five different plot lines, involving everything from terrorist lust to a gang of bikers lead by Captain Lou Albano. There's a documentary being filmed about the bar, and a conference call from Elvis, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. There's even a pronouncement about the meaning of life.

It's a lot for one film, but after all, it is a complex world. The movie almost became a life-long project for producer Lupo and writer/director James Wolpaw.

While filming documentaries during the eighties (for which he garnered an Academy Award nomination), Wolpaw made a living bartending at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, the Providence bar that inspired It's a Complex World.

Besides providing the impetus and the set for the film, the Heartbreak Hotel also provided much of the cast.

Rock bands Roomful of Blues, NRBQ and the Young Adults were all regulars at Lupo's and were happy to appear in It's a Complex World. In particular, the Young Adults contribute greatly to the soundtrack, playing the live band for most of the movie. Performing songs like, "Do the Heimlich" and "I fell in love and I married a tree," they create the perfect mood of mindless hedonism.

However, Morris Brock (Stanley Matis), the folk singer from hell, steals the show. Much of the movie is narrated from his nihilistic point of view. Motivated by intense sibling rivalry and a deep love for European dictators, Brock collaborates with the terrorists. What's more, his music seems to be motivated by a dislike of all mankind. "Why do we feed the broads" highlights his set of wonderfully vicious folk tunes.

Obviously, It's a Complex World's sense of humor is not the same as Hollywood's. But then again, whose is?

The virtue of It's a Complex World--and independent films in general--is that it wasn't made to appeal to everyone. Films that cost tens of millions of dollars cannot afford a small audience, so they are forced to compromise in the interest of selling tickets. To insure a return on the investment, they must appeal to as many moviegoers as possible.

It's a Complex World, produced on a small budget by Lupo and friends, was free of such market constraints. They sacrificed a "guaranteed" large audience for artistic integrity. It may not be for everyone, but if Hollywood isn't for you, It's a Complex World is worth a shot.