T.J. Thyne and Paula Rhodes in ‘Shuffle’.
The 2012 Phoenix Film Festival’s Best Picture winner:
‘Shuffle’ deals an affecting time travel story
Written and directed: Kurt Kuenne
Starring: T.J. Thyne, Paula Rhodes, Chris Stone, and Meeghan Holaway
“Shuffle” (2011) – “The bottom line is that time travel is allowed by the laws of physics.” – theoretical physicist Brian Greene
Lovell Milo (T.J. Thyne) is not a theoretical physicist. No, he’s a photographer – and a darn good one – who lives in the Norman Rockwellesque Riley Creek, Calif., but he cannot discern the strange events that plague him. Quite frankly, Albert Einstein couldn’t either. He’d be baffled.
When we first meet Lovell, 28, he’s sitting with a therapist, who is utterly mystified, as Mr. Milo claims that he was 15 years old yesterday, and the day before that, he was 30. What about the day before that? He was 8.
No wonder he’s sitting with a counselor.
According to Lovell, when he falls asleep, he wakes up on a different day in a different year, and there appears to be no end in sight. This dazed and confused lensman can barely endure his bizarre, jumbled trek through his personal past and future. Geez, the poor guy is spinning on a slanted dancefloor with a marshmallow foundation but rarely finds a soft landing.
At least Phil Connors (Bill Murray) in “Groundhog Day” (1993) always returned to the same day like clockwork with morning replays of Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe”. This actually eased Phil’s route to open-minded realizations, but Lovell must follow a trickier path, one dictated by an unknown dealer with a shuffled deck of otherworldly, cosmic cards.
Writer/director Kurt Kuenne surely incorporates an out of this world concept here, but thankfully, he does not ask Lovell to save the world from a nuclear disaster or stop a political assassination. Lovell’s purpose, instead, is much smaller in scope, squared within his immediate surroundings from age 8 and onward, but the ramifications for success or failure are quite monumental, not unlike a classic “Twilight Zone” episode.
Speaking of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, “Shuffle” is set during the ‘80s through 2011, but Kuenne - for the most part - bathes his picture in a wholesome, President Kennedy era atmosphere. Manicured suburbs with bright, lovely ranches set the outdoor backdrop, and a sentimental, sugary score noticeably frequents key emotional scenes. Capable players fill these aforementioned spaces, including Lovell’s mom (Meeghan Holaway) and dad (Chris Stone) and the girl next door (Paula Rhodes). Grace (Rhodes), in particular, steals the show with her jazzy, sunny cheer, as she not only grounds Lovell but also offers her never-ending support to lift him up. Their relationship is the film’s positive, affirming engine, while Lovell’s combative association with another character purposely trudges in damaging circles.
Although steeped with welcome sentiment, don’t forget the tick-tock, detective tones. Sure, Kuenne’s picture embraces a dreamy layer, but an absorbing, tense time warp drives the narrative, where he whisks our hero from one time and place to another time and place, but all within Riley Creek. The settings don’t (physically) venture very far, but the close, contained surroundings provide some comfort on this wavy ride. Meanwhile, “Shuffle” shines by capturing us in the moment, in Lovell’s immediate experience. So much so, it proves difficult to recall where and when we just visited.
The story may run a modest and speedy 77 minutes, but Kuenne packs twice as much empathetic humanity than most films which attempt similar emotional punches and embraces. “Shuffle” certainly connects in big, surprising ways, as it bequeaths enlightening life lessons for Lovell…and for us. Make sure to bring your tissues, and wow, who knew that physics could be so affecting.
3.5/4 stars
(“Shuffle” is available on Amazon Streaming and Netflix DVD)
Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008, graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and is a certified Rotten Tomatoes critic. Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.
