Ham on Rye is a coming-of-age comedy about the anxious excitement of being young and the peculiar apprehension about entering adulthood on the “most important day of your life”.
This film features a group of teens who dress in their grandparents clothes and step into the void of suburban idealism by using an expansive ensemble of over one hundred performers, including non-actors, musicians, 90’s Nickelodeon child stars, and more, to explore a suburban community’s relationship with a prom-like ritual and the fear of the unknown future.
Ham on Rye begins with the crowd-pleasing spirit of a John Hughes movie and gradually fades into an off-kilter dystopia with the energy of the film Dazed and Confused, before segueing into something far stranger, while capturing the awkwardness of being a teen and the discouragement of becoming an adult. According to tradition, they make a scattered pilgrimage across town, and upon arrival at Monty’s, a local delicatessen, this motley crew join together in a surreal ceremony of food, dance, and romantic angst that will determine the course of their lives forever. Many of the teens are granted an immediate escape from the clutches of suburban life while an unlucky few are left to dwell interminably in their hometown, which puts into question about the so-called American dream and what society expects from their youth, in this part coming-of-age film, part suburban fever dream.
Tyler Taormina | USA | 2019 | 85 mins.
