The 2010 Edward Burns project is entitled Nice Guy Johnny.  It has been such a hit at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival that additional screenings have been added to the schedule.  Burns wrote and directed the movie, and he also is one of the film’s stars. Burns’ co-star is Matt Bush (Adventureland), who actually plays the part of Johnny Rizzo, a 25 year old soon-to-be husband who is contemplating giving up his dream of being a sports caster to make his fiance happy by taking an insanely boring, but higher paying, job in the cardboard box industry.  Could Burns have picked a more obviously boring job? Lets just say he made his point.

Burns plays Johnny Rizzo’s smooth talking, bachelor of an uncle named Terry who decides to take Johnny to the Hamptons in order to give him a proper farewell to single life. However, Terry  is a warm, loving uncle who is simply trying to convince his nephew to not give up his dreams.  Just about everyone wants Johnny to take the job, but it’s the least likely of people who actually has Johnny’s best interests at heart.   Terry and Johnny are actually more similar than not (even though one is a going to married while one is a womanizer) since they both have low paying (so called “bummie”) jobs that they absolutely love. Terry basically asks Johnny the question – why does the woman who supposedly loves you, want you to leave a job that makes you happy in order to take a job you will absolutely hate?  Terry is really what every tormented man needs.  He’s the little critter sitting on your shoulder telling you the truth that you try to avoid, but you already know. Enter Kerry Bishe (Scrubs), who plays Brooke in the movie, and you already know what’s about to happen.

Nice Guy Johnny is a cute romantic comedy that has more Uncle-to-Nephew dry humor than Johnny-Brooke romance. It revolves around an important and serious theme, Johnny’s crisis, yet delivers a message in a soft and humorous manner. Burns has this niche of a movie perfectly nailed.  You know exactly what you’re getting with his stuff and it’s usually pretty good.  He’s the guy who will bat .295, hit 25 homers, and drive in 100 rbi’s every year.

For someone who is also 25, I really was engaged by Johnny’s character.  He is making such important decisions during the entire movie, and at such a young age, each time I kind of found myself thinking how I would have responded.   It was that kind of movie. Thus, I liked it. Any movie that engages the viewer is a successful movie. It’s that plain and simple really. The film has a clever script, is set in NY (my home), explores a 25 year old guy’s quarter life crisis and tells a couple jokes along the way.

Nice Guy Johnny gets a GO SEE IT rating. Check it out at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.

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