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For many of us, this time of quarantine has forced us to slow down. Our activities have been canceled, our to-do list trimmed. We’re focused more on the things and the people that are essential. But in the sci-fi comedy James vs. His Future Self, it’s not a global pandemic that forces a man to step back.
James vs. His Future Self stars Jonas Chernick as James, a geeky young scientist who’s obsessed with time travel. After working on his theories all day, he returns to the home he shares with his sister and works late into the night. But then he’s visited by a man who claims to be his future self (Daniel Stern). He tells James that, while he’s just 12 years from his major scientific breakthrough, it will cause him to lose everything and everyone. He insists that James needs to turn his life around—to live more in the present—but when James refuses, he ends up in a war with himself.
To James’s credit, he does consider making some changes in his life. After all, his older self—with his visions of doom and gloom—is quite convincing. And James’s willingness to make a change (no matter how reluctant it may be) does make him a somewhat endearing character. But, as it turns out, it’s not easy to change your life completely. And when poor, bumbling James attempts to fix his sad and lonely life by asking his best friend and colleague, Courtney (Cleopatra Coleman), on an actual date, he finds that, no matter how hard he tries, he simply can’t focus on anything other than his work.
Still, James’s future self is very persistent. “Jimmy” refuses to give up—to continue to subject himself to a life of loneliness and regret. And he’ll do absolutely anything to stop James from messing up his life. What follows may not be scientifically sound. It may not take itself and its scientific theories seriously at all. But it’s messy and madcap and often entertaining—especially thanks to Stern’s lovably unhinged Jimmy. And, through the comedy, it also hints at a meaningful message about living in the present.
James vs. His Future Self is a little bit comedy, a little bit sci-fi, and even a little bit romance—all with an underlying story about appreciating what you have now, today, instead of obsessing about what could be. It’s a fun indie—but one that is more thoughtful than you might expect.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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