Saving Paradise – A Simple Yet Entertaining Drama

There is beauty and comfort in simplicity. Every once and while it can be refreshing to experience something that does not try to overwhelm the senses, instead just taking pleasure in existing. Saving Paradise, directed by Jay Silverman and starring William Moseley and Johanna Brady, accomplishes just that by telling a story that is never in danger of becoming too uncomfortable or serious and relies on the premise of entertaining by way of a heartwarming story with a satisfying ending. Fans of the Hallmark model will immediately tuck into a familiar pacing, albeit this film should be considered its older, moodier brother.

Saving Paradise focuses on a small town pencil factory and the employees that operate it. As its owner dies, his son, Michael (Moseley), is forced to return home in order to begin the consolidation and selling process. This slowly begins to change as Charlie (Brady), the factory’s CFO, tries to convince him that there are other methods they could use to stay in business. As Michael and Charlie begin their journey at odds, they each find common ground through the workers within the factory and the lives that their decisions will ultimately affect. The plot slightly suffers from familiarity when compared to similar films, however, there is just enough charm within that it merely serves as a vehicle to allow its cast to shine. Moseley and Brady have good chemistry between them and are supported by a cast of veteran actors such as Mary Pat Gleason (Mary Williams), Paul Dooley (Gramps), and Bill Cobbs (John Thompson) who all contribute in their own way to the heart and appeal of the film.

Where Saving Paradise struggles in its pacing and editing. Standing at 102 minutes, the film becomes too complacent in developing its plot at a slower pace, choosing to pause for stretches that extend a certain scene beyond its need or to explore tangents that are meant to flesh out its central characters but can feel slightly out of place for the overall narrative. Additionally, the film seemed in need of another edit to shorten some of the aforementioned scenes as they were helpful to the film but seemed to go on longer than necessary or contained portions of dialogue that felt as if they needed to fill time. Some of this was more apparent during longer sequences of dialogue that felt as if it could’ve been enhanced somehow but these are all minor instances that do not detract from the overall product or experience.

While films such as Saving Paradise can be analyzed from many different perspectives, the most important is the emotion it is able to evoke from viewers. To that end, the film presents a simplistic story on its surface, but if given the chance, allows for a much more interesting narrative to unfold coping with loss and mistakes in life wrapped in a story that’s grounded in love. It finds a way to win the viewer over and then tells a story that is easy to emotionally invest in through its quaint setting and realistic characters. Its larger message of love and loss and even underlying theme of withstanding the ever-present existence of big-box businesses offer something to root for from beginning to end.

While Saving Paradise isn’t striving to make a must-see shortlist, there is something reassuring and comforting in experiencing a simple and delightful film whose sole purpose is to tell an entertaining story and does so successfully.

still courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

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