Jump Shot
Release Date:
No Release Date at this Time
After a ten year sabbatical, Director Mark Rydell has gotten the itch to helm another production. Perhaps it was the guest spots acting on Everwood or the executive production of An Unfinished Life that created the urge. Whatever the reason, Rydell will direct Jump Shot, his first film since 1994's Intersection.
For those of you who are not cinema historians, Rydell's name might not be familiar to you, but his work is. In 1979 and 1981, he created two of the most impacting movies of that era, The Rose and On Golden Pond. The former film established Bette Midler as an icon on its way to earning four Academy Award nominations. The latter film was nominated for ten Oscars, winning three, including Hollywood legend Henry Fonda's only Best Actor award. When Mark Rydell makes a film, people should stand up and take note.
After receiving critical praise for For the Boys, a 1991 release which saw the aforementioned Midler earn a Best Actress nomination, Rydell was frustrated to witness Intersection received so poorly. Sharon Stone's performance in the film wound up winning the 1994 Razzie for Worst Actress. In just three years, Rydell went from directing one of the best performances for an actress to helming the worst. He hung up his spurs and sat back to rest on his laurels and his legacy.
What project is it that has him willing to forego his retirement for a few months? Jump Shot is described as a multi-arc character piece in the Traffic mold. The film will trace three stories of gambling and addiction in a fashion similar to how the Soderbergh epic analyzed the industry of drug supply and demand. Comments on the script indicate that it is Robert Altman-esque, so it's safe to assume that this will be a critic's catnip production. (David Mumpower/BOP)
