With its Hollywood setting, this film focuses on the disposal culture we live in as it applies to people – in this instance, those in Hollywood who no longer fit the "young and beautiful" mould or don't serve a purpose any more. We see this through the relationship between a troubled student (Cameron) seeking to make a short film and a bitter old man (Flash) who he meets in the cinema who was once a lighting man for one of the main studios. As the film progresses, Cameron learns about abuses in retirement homes and comes to appreciate the value of those that society puts to one side while they wait to quietly die.This film was suggested to me by another IMDb user and, while I have seen bad and good films off such suggestions, I will nearly always end up watching something I wouldn't have otherwise done – which in itself is a good thing I think. Man in the Chair interested me from the start thanks to the link to classic films, the main character being a film fan and of course the cast names in the credits. The plot offers potential to be something genuinely touching and smart and there is no denying that the subject matter is particularly worth your attention. I presume this must have also been a rather personal project for writer/director Schroeder given that his resume features performing these same functions on several films in the Cyborg "franchise" – a series of films very different from the one I was watching from him today! So all of this offered me hope that the film could be smart, pointed and moving. Such a shame then to see that the writing and directing are the weakest parts of this film because it is here (the material particularly) where the film is allowed to slip into sentimentality and cliché in a way that really prevents the potential and the real emotional connection come through to the viewer. The warning signs are there early on because there are things in the script that just don't work and one sort of accepts them in order to get past them and into the rest of the film. Cameron's character is odd and his "troubled" nature is a bit excess for the person we see in all other scenes. The way he gets into a relationship with Flash (and the way that develops) also doesn't really work. These little warning signs are shown for what they are as the film progresses and where one hopes for originality and insight, what we get is mostly easy sentiment, easy characters, easy scenarios and obvious plot development.It is a real shame because even with these the film still just about works – albeit at a level below what it could have been. Part of this is that the film is still a warming and slightly touching experience – it is loaded with weakness perhaps but it comes with a truth and a "makes you think" quality that will still strike a chord with many viewers – perhaps helping the film to some degree. A much better part of the film working is that Plummer is really good and he works very well in the scenes he shares with Angarano; again, with these two and a very starry cast of older names playing their roles well, the potential just continues to sit there. Certainly a lot of the charm that the film does have comes from the cast. In terms of direction it feels like Schroeder has left them to it to a point and they could have done with more. Schroeder may also be responsible for the terribly unnecessary blurry/edit effects that are frequently used – they seem gimmicky, add nothing and ultimately started to grate on me with their sheer unwarranted presence.Man in the Chair is a solid little film if you can accept the abundance of cliché and heavy sentiment and ignore the potential that the cast and subject matter gave it. It has a slight warmth to it and it is a worthy film but Schroeder just can't make it what it should be – if there is a cliché trap he falls into it; if there is emotion he finds sentiment. The cast and the idea carry it and make it reasonably engaging, but I'll be honest and say that the near-misses and problems with it really limited my enjoyment of it.

Men in the chair is definitely not average film! Dialogs, assorted with Nietzsches bywords constitute wonderful film, with excellent performance!Christopher Plummer makes a step forward, improves film to higher level, with character Flash Madden, and Michael Angarano follows him right through! Emmet Walsh not more than usually, brings him self to the character and fulfil the perfect trio!This easy film, in time of special effects and super heroes, is a master piece, an exception worth every minute!Camera shows different altitudes, and moves, it completes the act and ambiance..Facile and rewarding! 10/10

I'm glad I saw this film. Because I very nearly didn't. Over here the new films open on Friday so the critics on the daily newspapers file their copy on Thursday/Friday and those that I read more or less dismissed it but one of the Sunday Broadsheets gave it a three-star rating so I decided to give it a whirl and, like I just now told you I'm glad I did. As it turned out it played to an audience of one but, to paraphrase Shakespeare's Henry V the fewer spectators the greater share of happiness. In retrospect this may well be a fantasy. Though it's played down the story takes place at Christmas time lending a Miracle On 34th Street element and in saying that I've emulated one of the elements of Man In The Chair, the referential; old movies are talked about and clips are shown both credited and uncredited. Most serious fans would recognize the uncredited clip from His Girl Friday but some may have trouble with The Angel And The Badman and that in itself could be a coded reference to the perhaps supernatural aspects. The story begins as school is breaking up for the holidays. They will return in three weeks so this can't be the long summer vacation which leaves Easter or Christmas. Because we're in LA there are no obvious signs other than a couple of almost subliminal shots of holly, Santa, etc. Cameron is a troubled teenager unhappy at home with a negative stepfather and consistently over-matches himself against a gang of school bullies. His one escape is the world of 'classic' movies and he has eyes to direct a ten-minute short which carries a prize. In his natural habitat, a re-run movie theatre, he encounters Flash Madden (Christopher Plummer), a senior drunk living in a Retirement Home for Movie Workers plus someone who knows more about old movies than Cameron and doesn't care who knows it. To cut to the chase they form an alliance and with the help of other vets in the Home they make Cameron's movie on the scandal of treatment of the elderly in America which moves the negative stepfather to change his opinion of Cameron making for the fairytale Miracle On 34th St element which is, however, balanced by the death of Flash. Christopher Plummer is outstanding in a role that has Oscar written all over it but all the cast are excellent and at the risk of seeming churlish I'll single out M Emmet Walsh for special mention. I'll be waiting for the DVD.

Dear Michael, Thank you again for sharing your amazing film, Man In The Chair with my audience last week at the 12th Annual Stony Brook Film Festival. The film was tremendously well received as was your exciting Q&A following the film with Christopher Plummer and Emmet Walsh.As I mentioned, your film received one of the highest marks from the audience in our twelve-year history and your five-minute standing ovation was the first ovation we've received for a screening in six years and certainly the longest in our twelve-year history.In a field of exceptional films and high marks from the audience, Man In The Chair was the clear winner, receiving a 1.22 rating (with 1.0 being the highest possible rating) from an audience of over 1,020 with 758 patrons voting. 627 of these individuals gave Man In The Chair a vote of Excellent (1) and represented the highest percentage of excellent votes in our history.People continued to talk about your film all week and the joy from the audience as your film was announced as The Audience Choice Winner at the Closing Night Awards Reception, was a clear indication that they got it right.We were so honored to have your film at Stony Brook this year and delighted to have met your team. We greatly appreciated the first New York screening and the opportunity to have you and the tremendously talented cast members at our screening. Man In The Chair will stand out as a Stony Brook Film Festival highlight for many years to come.I wish you great success with the upcoming theatrical release and you can count on my staff and I to support this film in any way we can.Most sincerely yours, Alan Inkles, Director Stony Brook Film Festival