Julie and Jack (2003) User Reviews

No.

[verjoyce · 2/10 · 27 June 2011]

After seeing the masterpiece of Birdemic, I just had to watch this. It was...horrible. Not as bad as Birdemic, the male lead was at least trying and pretty cute actually and the female lead made it pretty big after this movie (I looked her up on IMDb) This movie Isn't funny. It sucks, Birdemic did too-- don't get me wrong but this movie didn't have the so- bad-it's-good funny side of Birdemic. I mean, I did laugh at some things in this, (Especially at his womanizer friend Mark's dialogue)But i had to turn it off halfway through and force myself to watch the rest. The plot was terrible. Beyond that even. DO NOT watch.

Oh, and I like how the Director of this actually reviewed it. Keepin' it classy James.

Ed Wood Quality

[yourspy69 · 2/10 · 24 November 2003]

This is below a B movie. Some of the dialog was okay, and a few of the actors impressed me, but the plot, directing, cinematography and editing were atrocious. It looks like a homemade movie gone wrong. Perhaps we have a future Ed Wood at work here, yet I wouldn't count on this one becoming a cult classic.

Hard to categorize.

[ofpsmith · 3/10 · 12 September 2019]

I'm still not entirely sure what to make of this movie. I certainly wouldn't call it good but it's such a mix of emotion with poor acting and direction that it's kind of unreal. It has a very early 2000s feel to it so I might call it dated as well. The movie drops a lot on the audience several times so it's harder than you think to fully flesh out. Jack Livingstone (Justin Kunkle) is a software developer (because that's what James Nguyen likes to give his male leads as occupations) who is doing poorly at work. Following the advice of his sleazy, sex addicted friend Jack decides to sign up for an online dating service. He meets a mysterious woman named Julie Romanov (Jenn Gotzon Chandler) with whom he hits it off, save her evasive behavior whenever Jack asks her questions about her past. At one point (after about 3 months) Jack finally demands to know more about Julie's past when an out of the blue plot twist reveals that Julie and Jack have never met in person but have in fact been dating through virtual reality the entire time. Julie disappears and cuts off contact with Jack who then goes about trying to track her down. It turns out that Julie was a computer software student who started a million dollar computer company (again, because that's what Nguyen likes to give his characters as businesses despite living like regular people) who eventually disappeared. In a second plot twist it is revealed that Julie has actually been dead the entire time and that the computer she designed had enough of her personal information to replicate her in the dating service. After wrapping your head around that second out of the blue plot twist, you realize that Nguyen's affinity for paying homage to Alfred Hitchcock was alive and well back then as well as it has several references to Vertigo in place of The Birds. Jack rebuffs Julie and then forgives her but it comes too late as she is quickly decomposing as a pack of computer information (clearly I'm no expert with computers writing sentences like that). So the film has a very tragic ending that actually leaves an impact which is bizarre considering the fact that it's very poorly made. And given how strangely the plot is structured it's hard for me to actually say what I think of the film as a whole. It's not well acted, it's not well directed, it's not particularly well written but at the same time it really has to be seen to be believed.

It All Depends On What You Expect Going Into It...

[velvetkevorkian610 · 4/10 · 30 March 2012]

I had high expectations going into this movie. Now, I don't mean that I was expecting a masterpiece work with an enthralling story or superb acting, but I love bad films. About a week ago, I had the privilege of viewing the masterpiece work "Birdemic: Shock and Terror" and I absolutely loved every minute of it. It was one of the best so-bad-it's-good movies I have ever seen, and I've seen quite a few. It left me begging for more, and so I looked up the man behind it all, James Nguyen, on IMDb and it was there that I discovered "Julie and Jack." This movie was pretty obscure and difficult to get my hand on, but I eventually got the DVD and watched it last night. When I popped the DVD in, I was expecting horrifying editing, hilariously bad acting and dialog, and a completely ridiculous story based on what I had previously seen from Nguyen's "Birdemic." I went in with very high expectations for entertainment and very low expectations for production value, and what this movie delivered was somewhere in the middle.

The movie began and even from the opening scenes I could tell that the editing and acting were a step above my expectations. Not a very huge step, mind you, but definitely a noticeable one. The editing was more amateur than it was awful, and the delivery of lines was actually quite decent at some points. These elements gave the film more of an "extremely low budget" feel than an "oh my god what were these people thinking" feel. It almost felt like watching an amateur short film on the internet rather than an actual film. These elements of the film aren't really "so bad it's funny" or "so bad it's bad," you just know that the acting, editing, and overall production isn't very good and most of the time you can just ignore it, or at least get a few small laughs at certain points.

So basically after a few scenes I was able to grasp that it was just a mediocre production and I probably wasn't going to be getting most of my entertainment from the overall bad production, so I tried to concentrate on the actual story. The thing about this story is that it's not great, and it's not awful; it's not enthralling, nor is it so bad that you can laugh at it. In terms of just the story and nothing else, I would probably place this movie more on the good end of the spectrum than the bad. It's actually kind of an interesting take on the standard romance story. It starts off pretty standard, but a small ways in you're presented with a small twist that gets the main conflict of the story going, and in one final twist you get the resolution. During that second part and the main conflict of the film, I actually found myself interested. Without giving too much away, Julie obviously has some big secret and I actually found myself pretty interested in finding out what the secret was. They eventually do reveal it, and it is a tad bit cliché, but I was satisfied enough and at least it made sense. Julie's own explanation is one of the weirder, more sci-fi parts of the movie, and it's a bit strange, but nothing worth praising or complaining about.

Overall, it really just comes down to what you're expecting to get out of the movie. If you're expecting a spectacular, tear-jerking love story, you'll be disappointed. If you're expecting a masterpiece work of awful film similar to Birdemic, you'll be disappointed. I was the latter of the two, but instead of becoming disappointed I adapted how I was looking at it to meet somewhere in the middle of those two options, and I was left with a watchable film. If you see any of the interviews Nguyen has done, you can tell that he's just a man who's passionate about making movies. He works a day job five days a week to fund his filmmaking on the weekends. He's pretty much just an average guy, and this film was just the result of an average guy doing his best to make a decent flick. In my opinion, that's pretty respectable, and the movie itself is definitely watchable. With how rare it is, I guess it's not worth jumping through a ton of hoops to try to get to see it, but if you're ever given the opportunity, this movie might be worth checking out. With all of the acclaim that Birdemic is getting, and with Birdemic 2 on the way, maybe enough interest will get generated in Nguyen to give this movie a bigger release. If that happens, I think any open minded movie fan could enjoy this film at least a little bit.

So was this movie about microchips?

[Aaron1375 · 2/10 · 11 August 2020]

This film is brought to us by the director of Birdemic, only this film features no killer birds. No, this one is all romance...I guess, though it does like to talk about sales of computer chips from time to time. It also is a film that wants to surprise you with twists such as the fact the main two characters are apparently dating in a virtual world the entire time and considering this film was made in 2003, you know it would not look anything close to real or exist in a way that isn't totally red like the Nintendo Virtua Boy!

The story has a man who sells computer chips and he is in a bit of a slump. He goes to his friend for advice, and his friend is having sex and for some reason the girl he is with always wants to answer the door rather than continue. Not a good sign my friend. Well, the friend suggests Jack look for a girl, so he does and he meets Julie. We find out that they are meeting only in a virtual reality space and that Julie doesn't want to discuss things with Jack and it is about at this point where anyone who has seen more than a couple of films will guess she is dead and would be correct!

The film is a bit better than Birdemic, but only because the actress playing Julie is semi decent at times and there are no scenes of people in school buses screaming while birds hover, but it is not as much fun as Birdemic for much the same reasons. The guy is very bland and the story goes on far too long once we learn Julie's fate. Honestly, it should have ended on his first trip back in the virtual world upon discovering that she had passed away, he should have hugged her, tears should have flowed and credits should have rolled. Instead, it is ruined by them talking about sex and stupid stuff.

So, the filmmaker does seem to like revolving his movies around businesses a lot as this one starts out with the main character in a rut with his salesmanship and Birdemic the guy was a seller too who was rocking that 50% discount! His films also look like they are done on the cheap and actually two tiers below cheap, cheap's dirty cousin who smells of urine and dirt! Films that are not on film always look like total crap unless you can do some sort of gimmick like pretending it is real or something (Blair Witch or Paranormal Activity). Any other film that does this screams no budget and amateur and this film does both of those.

James Nguyen needs a new hobby

[kidlopo-1 · 1/10 · 11 April 2020]

All of his films, this included, are ONLY good as rifftrax material. I've seen better work done by high school students with a Camcorder in the 1990's.

Not as good as Birdemic

[lorandgyorgy-96671 · 1/10 · 7 May 2020]

It's a date movie directed by the guy who made Birdemic, except it sucks.

Unspeakably terrible

[sixhoos · 1/10 · 30 January 2020]

Chimps would have been better actors. Plot straight out of a 6th grade creative writing assignment. Dialogue moronic. Watch the Riff Trax version only.

James Nguyen's first stink bomb

[kyyankee · 1/10 · 8 July 2021]

Former computer chip salesman Nguyen creates a film about a romantically challenged computer chip salesman who finds love with a virtual reality woman. A concept that might have produced a decent film in the hands of an even marginally talented director and cast, but this bunch makes Ed Wood and his merry band of loonies and drunks look like the Royal Shakespeare Comapany. Justin Kunkle (Jack) has a total of 3 credits. Jenn Gotzon (Julie) left acting to become the Queen of the Christian Movies. And Nguyen was just warming up with this snooze fest, going on to the immortal Birdemic and Birdemic 2. Watchable only when being being mocked by the boys at Rifftrax.

I'll give you a 50% discount if you watch this film.

[TokyoGyaru · 3/10 · 25 February 2021]

I saw someone compare the director to Ed Wood, but no. Ed Wood was ignorant regarding what makes a good film (and in general--see how he talks about "primitive" people in Glen or Glenda), but I've seen his films and this director's, and I can at least say Ed's were more interesting and ambitious. He tried and dared a lot more than James does. How many times must we retread awkward, boring software salesmen (representing himself) giving absurd discounts and romancing vapid blondes? How many times must the female lead wear Asian dress and the couple go sightseeing? How many times must the director shoehorn in Hitchcock references? Props to James for making his films semi-diverse (there are never any minority leads, just cameos or minor characters); so, that's at least one advantage over Ed. For all Ed's daring in his era, he didn't really cross racial lines like James does.

ETA: Upon watching it again, I have to say that even though the two leads are not good actors in this, they have chemistry, and there's something sweet about Jack. He doesn't seem to be too bright, nor does he seem to be good at anything (aside from some pretty good detective work), but the character is a patient and kind guy with an endearing earnestness. (He's also good-looking.) Also, you can see the leads really trying hard to give it their all. For all the awkwardness and the terrible execution, at least the actors play off of each other WAY better than the leads in Replica. In Replica, the actress is worse than the actors in this film, but she has a charm to her even in her vapidness. If she'd be placed opposite someone like the main actor in this film, I would have been able to buy the Replica couple being together. But I digress. It's still not good, but I can give the movie that much. And there is a message in this one somewhere. Also, I've seen far, FAR worse movies recently that make this film look like a Best Picture contender by comparison, so it's softened my view somewhat.

Craptacular Brilliance!

[eflaat · 10/10 · 23 July 2015]

I know, I know. It's not an actual ten I'm giving this movie. It's horribly made on any objective measure but it's just so good at being bad that you HAVE to admire it.

This is James Nguyen's first movie and man does this depict the raw promise of incompetence that we'd later see with Birdemic and Birdemic II. Not only are we treated with horrible cinematography that defines Nguyen's flicks with static cameras that don't understand even the basic concepts like the rule of thirds or the fourth wall, but we're given even worse dialogue and non-existent special effects (well, that's a positive considering the badly done gif birds in his magnum opus.

I'm a lover of all movies and I've helped out with student films when I was in college and I have the utmost respect for anyone who can start and finish a film that's able to get distributed. I've also seen a lot of competently made films that just have no spark and are just boring; I'm looking at you rom coms and Adam Sandler flicks. Nguyen, whether he knows it or not, has a flair for making something as terribly made as a high school drama production shine on the screen with its charming incompetence. I can't help but laugh every time we see the main character try to form sentences with his buddy Mark who he only talks to after he's had sex.

Well, I've gushed enough and should probably get to the meat and potatoes of the review: The story itself deals with our hero Jack (Justin Kunkle) who is a computer chip selling schlub on the brink of being fired. In the midst of his problems he finds solace in a woman he begins dating online in a weird cyber-space virtual simulator. What transpires is a rom-com version of the Matrix but without the mind-bending action and captivating story. Oh no, it's filled with absolutely charming amateurishness: sets that are obviously someone's apartment, cameras that don't move and don't shoot at any angles, dialogue said without emotion, bad screen writing, stock options, office jargon, over-acting, under- acting, chip sales, talks of big money, and of course one graphic that includes a gif of the death star.

If you're into bad movies that're so bad they're good then pursue with zeal anything Nguyen makes. Oh, and also, yes the dialogue is wretched but I'll at least hand it to James that he was born in Da Nang and didn't leave Vietnam until he was 9 or 10 shortly before the Fall of Saigon so I'd give him a break his English. Honestly I'd like to 'get cup coffee with him.'

worth staying with

[misterlei · 7/10 · 30 December 2007]

I'm glad that i stayed with this movie, the first few minutes led me to think it is amateurish, badly-acted and with poor production values. Once i was into this movie those things didn't matter. A superb & unexpected twist after the first 30 minutes added depth and mystery to the plot. The character Jack's friend Mark is initially annoying but actually is cruelly representative of a lot of 'lads'.

Jenn Gotzon's acting ability stands out from every other actor in the movie; which is easy to tell by the length of her filmography. The soundtrack is awful in some places (dreadful new age synthesizer music) at other times is sublime (orchestral).

This movie benefits from staying with it. It makes you question modern love and its place in a relationship.

A Good Romantic Thriller

[GoodMoviesForever · 30 March 2004]

I really like this film. It's a unique and original love story. A romantic thriller. Very Hitchcockian. It's a kind of Romeo and Juliet in the 21st Century. This film really makes you think about the meaning of "true love". What if you fall in love with a person. And later found out that this person is dead, but that person's mind and spirit still exists in a computer and virtual reality. Can you still love this person? Can there be love without sex? How far will you go to find true love?

Julie and Jack is a romantic film, but it makes you think a lot about the meaning of true love in a philosophical way that you rarely see in today's films.