Chapter 27 -A DVD Review-

Here is an independent film that you may not have heard of. This small production about the murder of John Lennon was brought to a tiny, mostly negative audience first at Sundance in 2007 and soon-after Berlin, finally premiering to North American audiences in March of 2008. The DVD was released in September of '08.

Chapter 27 is an interesting little film. The subject matter almost guarantees it an audience and yet it was a financial flop, taking in barely more than $56,000; enough to pay off my debts but not enough to make the investors very happy. I hope meeting Jared Leto was worth it! (Whoops, he was one of the producers!)

The Poop:

Chapter 27 follows Mark David Chapman (Leto) over the course of the three days prior to his infamous murder of icon John Lennon. 

Leto gained 65 pounds to transform himself from the skeletal pseudo punk-rock star wannabe we love from the magazines into the shlubby loser psychopath we always knew he could be. In this case, Mark David Whatsisname. 

Mark arrives in New York with the sole intention of meeting John Lennon armed with nothing but a book (The Catcher In The Rye), a gun, a few crazy, disembodied voices, and a dream. While hanging outside the Dakota Hotel with all the other groupies he meets Jude, played by Lindsay Lohan (we learn her name when her friend calls "Hey, Jude, are we going?" Hey Jude, get it?).

The film is a character study, approached from the outside but allowing us glimpses of the inside of Chapman's deranged mind. From the outset we are told through Leto's narration as Chapman that his past and the abuses of his parents is inconsequential to the story. We are told to focus on these three days knowing nothing (if, like myself, you are uninitiated). 

Leto plays Chapman as a self-pitying loser with a fascinating commitment that goes beyond his almost contrived weight-gain. I mean, it's impossible not to be fascinated by how fat he is compared to his usual skeletal appearance; completely unlike Robert De Niro in Raging Bull in which case a normal guy gained a few pounds. This is like Trevor Reznick becoming the world's fattest man at the circus. It's too obvious! However I'll say this; he is fascinating to watch! His portrayal, whether faithful or not is riveting most of the time. Leto, despite his silly public persona is a fantastic actor. This is a saving grace since he carries the film from the first frame to the last. He does a great job of keeping you interested in what this Chapman dude is gonna think or do next. 

Lindsay Lohan plays an interesting but ultimately unnecessary plot device called Jude. It's a shame cos Lohan is effective in her tiny role. 

And here is where I state, once again, for the record; despite her fucked up personal life as the press sees it, Lindsey is a talented actress. There I said it. Again. She's good. She just needs material challenging enough to make her really work hard. This wasn't it. This was practically a cameo. 

The actual murder was downplayed cos apparently the focus was meant to be on Chapman which is fine. He came, he waited, he killed. No answers are given to those who want answers. See this film if you just want to gain a little knowledge about what kind of guy Lennon was dealing with. 

I liked it. I don't know why Chapman did what he did. I don't know why humanity destroys the best of itself. What I do know is I'll never hang out waiting for an autograph because no signature in the world will make me a better person, and no book will ever sum up my life that I myself haven't written. 

This was three days in the life. You'll learn nothing. You'll just watch and feel how you feel. It's worth the 84 minutes. Lemme know in the comments if you disagree.

Available on DVD mostly everywhere.