If John Cho’s wife hadn’t become pregnant, he’d be the charming womanizer with just about everything who wakes up one morning with the one thing nobody wants — That Burning Feeling. But Cho couldn’t commit to a month of filming in Vancouver, so an endearing Paulo Costanzo took on the lead role and Cho the supporting one of his boss. And frankly, I can’t imagine Cho as anything but the zen-spouting, money-grubbing, hypocritical real estate developer. Cho almost stole director Jason James’s movie about the “fire down below” if not for Tyler Labine’s casting as the wildman neighbour. Labine is “awesome at improv” as everyone knows. Jay Brazeau is no comedic slouch either as the womanizer’s doctor. Asked why he’d committed to this STD comedy,a deadpan Brazeau told the crowd at the RIO theatre premiere: “I’ve always wanted to work in Mission. And I’m interested in gonorrhea.”
Adam Murphy (Paulo Costanzo)’s diagnosis is the start of his transformation. He must tell all of his recent sexual conquests about his little problem. Trouble is he doesn’t know their names because he had no intention of seeing them again. To James and writer Nick Citton’s credit all of these women are fleshed out over the course of the film as we come to know their hopes and dreams, not just the two or third word description next to their digits in Adam’s phone. Plus female lead Ingrid Haas, who plays the woman Adam falls for, is convincing as the one woman he’d change his ways for..
You can catch That Burning Feeling at 4 p.m. on October 5th at the SFU Woodwards theatre or at 3:30 p.m. on October 11th back at the Rio Theatre.
Director Jason James, happy that his movie’ is premiering in a licensed theatre that serves beer.
Jay Brazeau and Tyler Labine.
