Jump, Darling **** (2020, Thomas Duplessie, Cloris Leachman, Linda Kash) – Movie Review

Writer-director Phil Connell’s appealing, amusing and moving 2020 Canadian drama Jump, Darling stars Thomas Duplessie as Russell, aka rookie drag queen Fishy Falters, who escapes from a break-up with his boyfriend to his grandmother (Cloris Leachman)’s house in the country. She’s at the end of the road but desperate to avoid the mother (Linda Kash)’s plan to dump her in the local nursing home.

Duplessie is good and likeable, a most entertaining turn, and Kash is solid and credible, but Cloris Leachman is heartbreaking in her final starring role. The film’s best bits are all those with Cloris Leachman in, which is luckily a fair old chunk of it. It was a grand opportunity for her, aged 93, and she grabs it by the throat in an infectiously bitter-sweet performance, with some big highlight moments.

The script is sad and sweet, but mostly on the feel-good side, sending out positive signals. It has a surprisingly nice view of humanity, which is good to tune into for 90 minutes. It doesn’t have any real surprises up its sleeve, but its warm heart keeps it involving and life-affirming.

It premiered at the Toronto Inside Out Film Festival on 2 October 2020 and then was shown in the UK at the BFI Flare London LGBTQ+ Film Festival on 17 March 2021.

It is dedicated to Cloris Leachman in loving memory. It seemed like she would live for ever, but a stroke and COVID got her.

She died on January 27, 2021, aged 94. She won an Oscar for The Last Picture Show (1971) and will always be remembered for Frau Blücher in Young Frankenstein (1974).  She achieved screen 287 credits and won a record nine Emmy Awards.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Movie Review

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