By Rebecca Kellogg
'Jack Weyland''s Charly' will vault to the big screen this weekend, bringing the moment of truth for the producers, actors and others who have put so much into the movie. They will finally learn whether their work will be positively received by the public.
Following up on Thursday''s premiere spectacular at Jordan Commons, which planned to feature live bands and a Ferris wheel, the film will open on 45 screens throughout Southern Idaho and Utah today. It will play in the intermountain west throughout the holiday season and will then expand to other theaters in the United States and Canada, said Producer Lance Williams.
A few of the major players in the 'Charly' production shared with the Daily Universe their hopes and fears for opening night.
Williams admitted there is some apprehension attendant on opening weekend.
'Opening night is crucial for a film like ours,' he said. 'It is important that we have a big turnout to ensure that word of mouth spreads as quickly as possible. Not unlike ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding,'' our film will become known primarily by word of mouth. Our biggest fear is that not enough people know about the show and don''t come the first weekend.'
Jack Weyland, the BYU-Idaho physics professor who wrote the novel the movie is based on, isn''t too worried about opening night.
'I have had no fears about the audience''s reaction to the movie since the LDS Bookseller''s Meeting in August, where there was a showing of the movie to several hundred booksellers,' he said. 'Afterwards, Heather Beers and I formed a reception line and talked to people as they left the theater. Their feedback was very positive.'
Beers, an actor from Salt Lake who stars in the title role, has high hopes for the movie.
'Since Jack Weyland has such a loyal following, and this novel is beloved by a couple generations, I hope audiences find what they are looking for-a Charly they can believe, a Charly they''re willing to join on the story''s journey,' she said.
Does Beers have fears for opening weekend?
'Fears?' she asked. 'Just imagine seeing yourself 30-feet tall on a screen. Now THAT''S frightening.'
Participants in the 'Charly' production have varied plans for opening night.
'I''ll be on my couch, popcorn in my mouth, a video on TV-trying to forget that lots of people are watching the debut,' said Beers,
Williams has different plans.
'I plan to visit different theaters up and down the Wasatch front and talk to people coming out of the movie to get a feel for how they like it,' he said. 'Then I plan to take a couple weeks off.'
Weyland plans to be in a theater watching the movie opening night.
He said his family has been very supportive of his book being turned into a movie.
'In fact, they made plans to attend the premiere when it was scheduled for September 18,' he said. 'When the premiere was delayed a week, we decided to go ahead and have a family reunion anyway. And so ''Charly'' has brought our family closer together!'
When asked what his physics students thought of his writing career and his ties to the movie, he replied, 'Students are mostly bewildered. It''s hard for them to see the connection between teaching physics and writing fiction.'
Author, cast and crew each have favorite scenes or elements of the movie.
Williams said he likes the Ferris wheel scene because it is symbolic of the theme of the movie.
Beers likes a thrill-ride scene.
'My favorite scene in the movie comes pretty early,' Beers said. 'Charly is driving a vintage Ford Mustang, speeding through Salt Lake. Granted, I only dared drive it about 15 miles per hour during the shoot, but it was a blast.'
Weyland said his favorite part of the 'Charly' story is the humor.
'My wife, Sherry, told me that when I was writing ''Charly'' I used to laugh in my sleep,' he said. 'Is that weird?'
For the uninitiated, the plot of 'Charly,' at least in the beginning, forms around a love triangle.
Jeremy Elliott, whom audiences my recognize as the lead actor from The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd, plays Sam, Charly''s new LDS love interest.
Adam Johnson, from Midway, Utah, plays Mark, Charly''s old boyfriend from New York.
'I don''t want to ruin it for you, but Charly-well, she basically ends up kicking me to the curb,' Johnson said.
This plot development should come as no surprise to readers of Jack Weyland''s novel 'Charly': The movie''s plot is largely the same as the novel''.
Johnson, who has not read the book, nonetheless protests, 'I''m not as bad as the guy in the book-of course I don''t think I''m bad at all. He''s a lot of fun. He''s with Charly, who he likes a lot, and he wants to keep things the way they are.'
The movie''s Mark does have a different persona than the Mark in the book.
In the novel, Mark is a sneaky politician. In the movie, Mark is the fun-loving owner of a greeting-card business.
The relationship dynamics of the love triangle have been carried over to the movie from the novel, however.
'The relationship hinges on differences,' said Johnson. 'The standards that Sam has aren''t the same as the standards Mark has. Sam has an eternal view on things, while Mark is just there to have a good time.'
The fact that Johnson had not read the novel became evident when he auditioned for a part in the movie.
'I wanted to read for Charly-the lead role,' he said.
After being told he couldn''t read the part of Charly, he tried out for the part of Sam.
'They didn''t like me in the part,' Johnson said, 'but they cast me as Mark.'
His unruly appearance apparently suited Charly''s worldly boyfriend in the eyes of the directors.
'I had just been in a Church film where I was baptized by John the Baptist,' he said. 'So I had long hair and a beard. I told them I''d shave or whatever, but they said, ''Keep it.'''
After being cast, Johnson maintained a state of intentional ignorance on Weyland''s original work.
'When I got the part, I didn''t want to read the book because I didn''t want it to influence how I played him,' Johnson said.
Johnson said he enjoyed his part in the movie quite a bit.
'It''s a fun part,' he said. 'Mark is a sarcastic, funny guy who doesn''t pull any punches.'
Johnson said he also enjoyed working with Heather Beers (Charly), whom he called a great actor.
'It required less work from me, except to keep up with her,' he said. 'I''ve been acting for 3 years; Heather''s been acting for a very long time.'
Johnson said the setting for the movie ranges.
'Some of the movie takes place in New York. Some stuff was shot there, but the majority was shot in Utah,' Johnson said.
'Charly' has very strong ties to Utah in general and to the BYU communities in particular.
The movie is, uniquely, adapted by an LDS screenwriter, directed by BYU graduates, and based on a book by an LDS author at BYU-Idaho.
'The idea to make the movie was that of the director-Adam Anderegg, and, initially, one of the producers,' said Weyland. 'Adam Anderegg is the director. He is a graduate of BYU in film. Micah Merrill was a classmate, also in film. The one who wrote the screenplay was also a classmate at BYU. I guess you could say this movie owes its existence to BYU.'
Does Weyland hope to see other of his books made into movies?
'I''d jump at such an opportunity,' he said. 'But basically how it works is people contact the author, they make an offer, they secure the movie rights, they raise the money, they have someone write a script, and they produce the movie. So it''s not something I can speed up.'
Weyland listed 'Jake,' 'A New Dawn,' and a book he is currently working in called 'Cheyenne in New York' as his books he would most like to see made into movies.
Do we have any takers?