30 Second Bottom Line: Two men, one in his early 30's and the other getting ready to retire and collect social security, work together on the same job for a year. During that time, they become friends from a totally different perspective in life.

Story Line: Paul (Liev Schreiber) has recently been released from an 18-month incarceration at the Danbury Correctional Center for armed robbery. As the movie opens, he is on his first day of his new job as a maintenance worker in the parks district as the partner of Murph (Ned Beatty). Ned is going to retire in a year and to him life is simple…he has been married for 45 years, does not use the "f" word and in general, is pleased with his life. Well, things are not quite what they seem.

There are seven mini stories that are related which comprise the totality of Spring Forward. Each segment is introduced where something about the time of the year has special significance. This is done in a manner that is visually pleasing to look at. It also allows you to realize how we value small events as the year progresses. It keeps us alive. In the spring, listening to the sounds of birds is a symphony; going fishing in the local stream is a get away without going anywhere; pulling the cover off of the back yard pool is a sure sign of summer; chopping wood means that Labor Day has passed and a new school year has begun; trick or treating is the unofficial kick off for the holiday season and when we see snow, we know that Christmas is coming.

On Paul's first day on the job with Murph, they go the nursery of a wealthy businessman to pick up fertilizer that is donated since it's left over from last year. This is done each spring and it's the first opportunity to learn what makes Murph and Paul tick. It also tells us that the film is multidimensional unlike a similar talky story primarily about two men, The Big Kahuna. It's the relationship of the two of them interacting with others that allows them to think about the world around them and develop as human beings.

Paul is on edge and concerned that he won't make it on the outside in a regular job. His favorite word has "fu" in it and Murph finds this distasteful, although he does nothing to make you think he is a religious man. Shortly after they get to the nursery, Fredrickson (Campbell Scott) arrives in his 700 series BMW dressed like he is ready for a casual dinner at an exclusive country club. Although they are out in the countryside where only the three of them are around, he uses his remote control to beep beep his car to activate the alarm.

His workers that are supposed to be there to load the fertilizer on the park district truck are "busy" with last minute paying jobs. Murph at first resists doing the heavy lifting not because he is lazy but he's not a young man. Fredrickson is a schmoozer who starts to bring Murph around with a presumptive close like "while we are waiting for the guys to get here (knowing they are not coming) let's take a look at what needs to be done". Paul sees what is happening and confronts Fredrickson in a manner he is clearly not accustomed to….not physically, but challenging him mentally. Things get worked out but Paul becomes distraught as he starts to realize he has a tendency to overreact. This provides the first opportunity for Murph to reach out to the young man and comfort him.

In effect, this last scene was more about wealthy business people who think they are doing society a favor by donating things they don't need and their high handed self importance attached to it than how Murph and Paul react to the situation.

As the other scenarios evolve, Murph and Paul learn from them and as a result, become better people because they have open minds, challenge one another and allow themselves to become more informed human beings.

At one point when they are talking about religion, Paul refers to reading he did while in prison. To him, spiritual does not equate to religion per se. Paul introduces the concept of karma to Murph and when he relates that to religion, he tells him that the Dali Lama is like the Pope of Buddhism. It takes Murph a few moments, but he finally gets it.

Big business gets slammed again when Paul talks about how IBM helped put him in the financial bind that resulted in him committing the armed robbery. He was working in the kitchen cafeteria, content with his minimum wage position and was doing OK until payday when his check was shorted. It seems that because he was a trainee, while he was not "productive", a large number of hours did not count toward his pay calculation. Later, when they are talking to a woman who is violating lawn-watering laws during the afternoon, she says "why should my lawn burn up so some executive at IBM can put water in his pool?". This in not exactly in your face Roger Moore (Roger & Me) stuff, but it's a similar message about corporate America and the working class.

After being in prison for almost two years, Paul eventually faces up to the fact that he longs for sex with a woman. Love is not a requirement but if there could be a relationship, that would be ideal. Paul and Murph meet Georgia (Peri Gilpin) who maneuvers Paul into a date with her with the tacit cooperation of Murph. He sensed the opportunity at first sight and found an excuse to leave them alone together. Unlike most movies, everything is not played out to its logical conclusion on the screen. You know what will happen at a certain point and the story moves onto another segment. It's this technique that allows a film with a lot of dialogue from two principal characters that keeps the film on a fast pace without the benefit of car chases and shootings.

Other topics that come up are how parents deal with children who are gay and how hurtful betrayal by a friend can be……"you are always surprised when you are betrayed".

For the majority of folks who struggle to figure out how to make a living, is there time left for a quality life? When you make mistakes in how you treat your family and friends, who happen to be the people that will allow you to hurt them, should or can you apologize when it seems it's way too late? How do you feel when you know the last time you see someone is the last time you will ever see them either alive or the way you have always remembered them?

As we move to the last scenario, Paul is now driving and Murph is in the drivers seat. It's Murhps last day on the job. Have both men been able to change over the last year such that each day they look at life as a new book…on page 1?

While driving down a dark country road, they come across Dawn (Catherine Kellner) whose husband has given her a black eye for no apparent reason other than he does not respect women and needs someone to take his frustrations out on. She was so nervous that she started smoking again and burned her leather jacket which she now fears will give her husband a "legitimate" reason to beat her again. Seeing how Paul handles the situation tells you how much he has learned from Murph over the past year.

Tell Me More About It: Spring Forward is a wonderfully intelligent and insightful film somewhat similar to You Can Count on Me. It's about real people that you know…maybe even someone like you.

I can't recall any film recently, which covers so many important topics without digressing onto a tangent. This one not only does not do that but it keeps its focus on how the two men while not specifically trying to, help enrich each other's lives. It's like being politically correct without trying to or even thinking about it. You are who you are.

As Paul realizes what he has learned from Murph, we wonder how much Murph gained from Paul. In some ways they are like father and son who have become best friends. I've asked a lot of questions in this review. If there is a message in the film it's that there is so much to learn in life that you should be always asking questions everyday. It's how we grow, it's how we love, it's how we live…. it's the very essence of who we are.

Ned Beatty: Cookie's Fortune	Liev Schreiber: The Hurricane
Campbell Scott: Big Night	Peri Gilpin:Frasier-TV
Bill Raymond: The Hurricane	Catherine Kellner: Shaft
Tom Gilroy: Claire Dolan

Murph: Ned Beatty	Paul: Liev Schreiber
Fredrickson: Campbell Scott	Georgia: Peri Gilpin
Don: Bill Raymond	Dawn: Catherine Kellner
Director: Tom Gilroy