Commercial director Jim Jenkins–whose latest work includes production house O Positive’s Super Bowl “Groundhog Day” spot starring Bill Murray for Jeep–makes his short film debut with I Can Change, which was selected for the Tribeca Film Festival’s LOL Shorts Program.
With the coronavirus pandemic causing the postponement of the festival–originally scheduled from April 15-26–Tribeca organizers are working toward some public screenings to be held perhaps sometime down the road.
For now, though, this trailer provides a taste of the I Can Change short.
Jenkins not only directed but also wrote I Can Change, which stars John Hoogenakker (Jack Ryan, Colony) as an underachiever who is granted the power to stop time the night before his wedding. He attempts to make some major life changes his fiancé (Lucy Cudden) wants him to make, all before morning, but along the way finds things like Krav Maga, baseball bats and murder more compelling.
While I Can Change was filmed over four days in New York City, Queens and Long Island, the idea for the film was born in Prague where Jenkins was shooting a spot with Hoogenakker who plays The King in Bud Light’s popular "Dilly Dilly" campaign. At the time, Hoogenakker was starring in Jack Ryan along with John Krasinski, and mentioned all the fight training he was doing for that role. Jenkins said the story took shape shortly thereafter with Hoogenakker in mind for the lead.
“Having worked with John many times, I always tell him he has a unique ability to play both the smartest person and the dumbest person in the scene at the same time,” Jenkins said. “He just plays a likable idiot really well, hence his long run as the clueless King in our Bud Light commercials.”
Hoogenakker added, “We have a long history of working together, and I feel like Jim is always the funniest guy in the room, so there’s a great amount of ease and trust there when we work together to dig the laughs out of a scene. We definitely share a shorthand that makes the process run smoothly, and I would say the same for the crew, as well. I Can Change was a blast to film, and working with the rest of the cast on this one was nonstop fun.”
Jenkins landed the rest of his I Can Change cast–Cudden, Annie Sertich, Kimberly Dooley, Matt Newell–after a search on both coasts and final auditions over Skype while he and his wife were finalizing an adoption in Latvia.
I Can Change, from production company B Negative, was edited by Chris Franklin (Big Sky), with cinematography by Stuart Dryburgh, both of whom Jenkins has collaborated with many times while making commercials. “Commercials are a great training ground, especially comedic ones,” said Jenkins, who over his career has worked with Adam Driver, Martin Scorsese, Sigourney Weaver and many other top talents. “There’s an economy to storytelling when trying to make a funny spot, and jokes and comedic beats don’t necessarily change timings just because a film allows you more time to let them play out. Funny is still funny.”
