All We Are Saying is Give Chirp A Chance

By Zach Galligan on 05/21/2008

In August of 2006, I received an odd e-mail. It was a short, somewhat rambling message, but the crux of it was that a 23 year old NYU Film Grad named Jonathan Blitstein had written a screenplay entitled Let Them Chirp Awhile and, apparently, was offering me a role in the picture. Inwardly, I groaned, because I had read a cornucopia of screenplays that had been sent to me, either for my opinion or possibly my involvement, and generally they were pretty poor.

As I started to read, however, a smile crept across my face. The script was pretty darn good, and the character of Hart Carlton (the small but juicy role I'd been offered) was so quirky and loathsome, I felt I could do it justice. I e-mailed back the next day that I was in, and we quickly worked out a deal.

Filming proceeded apace in October of '06 ( on 35 mm, which was cool), and I was immediately impressed by Blitstein's self assurance, relaxed manner and calm under pressure. He never cracked, hustled mightily, and even survived burning a hole in his stomach with antibiotics( he was rushed to the hospital, but returned ASAP to continue shooting). Additionally, I was surprised at how open he was to improvisation; often, first time writer-directors treat their own dialogue as if it was straight from the Rosetta Stone. I filmed my part in a quick three days, and went on with my life.

Watch the trailer here.

Flash forward two months, just before Christmas '06, and I am invited to come see a rough cut of the film at Blitstein's apartment (he had edited it by himself, using Final Cut Pro on his laptop in less than a month). As I hurry down to St. Mark's Place, I am filled with trepidation: Will it suck? How good could it conceivably be? Don't expect too much, I tell myself, he's a first-timer, he's bound to have made mistakes and, in all probability, botched it royally.

I should pause here for a moment and issue a bit of a disclaimer: as a working actor, the majority of the films in which I perform are merely jobs. That doesn't mean I don't give 110 percent, it just means that there is a paucity of work of which I am exceedingly proud. I believe, and have been told as much, that my fellow actors generally feel the same way.

After having seen the rough cut (and a few months later,the final,finished version), I can say with total certainty that Let Them Chirp Awhile is one of the better films I have done. A cross between Woody Allen's Manhattan and Swingers, this coming of age film about twenty-somethings wrestling with relationship and creativity issues in the East Village is keenly observant and often hilarious. After every screening I have attended, young people (between 19 and 29) have raved about it, saying things like " This is my life" or "I can't believe how true that movie is", and shaking their head at how Blitstein, in his first film, has managed to capture post-college anxiety and identity issues so perfectly. Strangely enough, baby boomers also respond to it, if only so they can understand their 21st century kids.

That's why I am bewildered that this film - which stars Justin Rice (Mutual Appreciation), Brendan Sexton III (too many indies to mention), Laura Breckinridge and a talented newcomer named Pepper Binkley, along with a cameo by Anthony Rapp - took so long to find a distributor ( which it finally has), despite rave reviews at both the Woodstock and East Lansing Film Festivals (where it won the top prize). I don't know much about economics, but I know this: this film could easily make money hand over foot if it is released correctly, especially on the college circuit, where it would thrive and, I believe, quickly achieve cult status.

But don't take my word for it; click on the link hopefully provided here, and/or view the trailer located in the Video section. I think you'll enjoy it.

Let Them Chirp Awhile