Just Jim is a film I probably would not have seen on the big screen other than in Cardiff, as it is a very low budget Welsh comedy. Judging by the size of the audience (three, including me), it seems not have been a success even here, and it is easy to see why.
Craig Roberts (who also writes & directs) stars as Jim, an awkward 16-year-old who doesn’t have any real friends and leads a lonely existence. He is also in love with Jackie (Charlotte Randall), a girl from his school who is way out of his league. His life starts to change when a mysterious American, Dean (Emile Hirsch) moves in next door.
The story sounds pretty familiar, indeed it bares a resemblance to the overrated Submarine (2010) that Roberts starred in. Roberts tries to bring some originality to bear by ratcheting the quirk factor up. Pretty much all of the characters are oddballs, and I guess that’s where the comedy element was meant to be found. However, I found mostly everyone in the film annoying and unbelievable. Dean in particular feels out-of-place, and Hirsch looks extremely uncomfortable in the role. The rest of the performances are mostly overdone or amateurish, Mark Lewis Jones in a minor role excepted.
A real disappointment.
Rating: 4 out of 10