The best way to describe Hollywood New Jersey, is like a marriage between the rapid-fire humor of The Office and a biting commentary video on modern filmmaking you might come across on the Internet. It’s a fusion that hits all the novel notes to be considered entertaining while remaining grounded enough to serve as a kind of love letter to indie auteurs. Worthy of note is the fact that the entire film was assembled from a bunch of test shots and was accepted into the Garden State Film Festival.
A frantic race towards stardom, the short follows the lofty aspirations of GC, aka Gianny Hollywood (GianCarlo Fernandez), and his team of fellow hotshots Rocco (Rocco Petrullo) and Manny (Manny David) as they set out to conquer their local circuit of filmmakers and, hopefully, Hollywood itself. With a seemingly insurmountable amount of obstacles in their way, they formulate a desperate make-or-break plan to become famous.
A good way to characterize the look and feel of Hollywood New Jersey, is unrefined. Editing-wise, it can be quite jarring at times, haphazardly shifting from tone to tone without any prior setup. In fact, this bizarre array of cuts takes the punch out of the performances. Even though the cast gives it their all, there is no standout performance to speak of, making it difficult to form connections with anyone on screen, let alone root for their success.
Hollywood New Jersey works more as a critique of the independent film scene than a sitcom. From the dog-eat-dog mentality that many wannabe visionaries share, to massive egos floating around on YouTube heralding their own greatness, all the way to the dissection of the arthouse movement. The issues the characters grapple with in creating their ideal breakout project are very relatable problems that audiences will be able to connect to in one way or another. On one hand, it’s rewarding to see the ebb and flow of the creative process and quite amusing to see the cliched, virtue-signaling side of the business as well. There’s a debate to be had about all of it, and director GianCarlo Fernandez’s screenplay enables one from the get-go.
The title card of Hollywood New Jersey clearly reads: “pilot for a pilot”, and that sentiment holds true in its execution. It genuinely comes across as a pilot episode of something larger and better. It can often feel clunky and overedited, with no real standouts in the acting department to elevate its sincere efforts at comedy. Yet the silver lining here is that its shortcomings in one department opens the door to another. Its commentary is quite fascinating, and whether you work in the industry or are an outsider peering in, you’ll be sure to find some of the most hard-hitting realities of independent filmmaking laid bare. It’s that combination of intrigue and self-awareness that just might make Hollywood New Jersey, worthy of your time.
