Jump Tomorrow
Encyclopedia
Jump Tomorrow is a 2001 independent film
and romantic comedy
written and directed by Joel Hopkins
, starring Tunde Adebimpe
, Hippolyte Girardot
, and Natalia Verbeke
. It concerns George (Adebimpe), a shy, bespectacled man who is about to marry a fellow Nigerian American
woman named Sophie Ochenado, played by Abiola Abrams
, when he falls for a Spanish woman. It is based on a short film called Jorge. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0192191/
who has just been turned down for a marriage proposal. To cheer him up, George takes him to Alicia's party. There, George finds himself attracted to Alicia, but she is already dating a British professor, Nathan. A drunk Gerard goes to the roof and attempts suicide, but George talks him out of it by telling him to "jump tomorrow."
Out of gratitude, Gerard offers to drive George to his wedding. On the road, George buys an audiocassette to learn Spanish and secretly fantasizes about Alicia. The movie spoofs Spanish soap operas
in fantasy sequences where George imagines himself and Alicia as characters on the show. The compassionate Gerard figures out that George is not really in love with his fiancée, a childhood friend whom his family expects him to marry. George is a passive individual who does not seem troubled by the idea of marrying someone he does not love.
George spots Alicia and her boyfriend at a gas station, and Gerard talks George into following them. They all end up at a hotel with a love motif and a variety of strange furniture, including a bathtub in the form of a giant champagne glass
. Gerard advises George to gain Alicia's attention by making her jealous. A reluctant George ends up inviting to his room a saleswoman who calls herself "Heather Leather." But he doesn't know that she's allergic to cologne
, and disaster ensues. He never crosses paths with Alicia, whose boyfriend gives her an engagement ring made of bone. The next day, George wants to resume his journey alone. But Gerard gives a heartfelt speech about love, and he convinces George to stick with him.
Alicia and her fiancé hitch a ride with George and Gerard, thinking their sudden appearance a coincidence. Alicia's fiancé Nathan practices t'ai chi in the rain and argues with Gerard about whether the French language
is obsolete. Meanwhile, Alicia and George find themselves falling for each other. When they arrive at the home of Alicia's family, who are meeting Alicia's fiancé for the first time, George wants to leave. But Gerard convinces him to stick around for the night, telling him to "jump tomorrow."
Alicia's fiancé ends up in bed the whole time after Alicia's uncle, a deaf-mute
, offers him a spicy dish he can't handle. The uncle takes a liking to George and teaches him a Spanish dance. Gerard finds himself attracted to Alicia's mother, a widow. They all enjoy the party that night, and George gets a chance to make his move, but he is too shy to proceed.
Gerard and George leave for the wedding. After dropping off George, Gerard heads towards Niagara Falls, where he is finally ready to commit suicide, until by happenstance he meets a little boy who says he gets the best ideas when he is by himself. This makes Gerard realize the root cause of his depression was the fear of going through life without a woman, and that there are times in a man's life where it is good to be alone. This insight makes Gerard realize he should not take his own life. At the ceremony, George declares "I am Jorge" (the Spanish form of George) and calls the wedding off. He and his fiancée Sophie agree at the church that their intended marriage was for convenience and not an ideal match. They also tell the audience that if George's parents were still alive, they would have wanted what George wanted. Gerard and George catch up to Alicia and her fiancé at the border of Canada
, where Alicia refuses to emigrate on account of the climate, and George finally expresses his love for her.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
and romantic comedy
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
written and directed by Joel Hopkins
Joel Hopkins
Joel Hopkins is a British independent film director and screenwriter best known for his films Jump Tomorrow and Last Chance Harvey .-Career:Hopkins was born in London, England, though he moved to New York to attend university...
, starring Tunde Adebimpe
Tunde Adebimpe
Babatunde Omoroga "Tunde" Adebimpe is an American musician, actor, and director best known as the lead singer of the Brooklyn-based band TV on the Radio. His vocal method often involves improvisation, the use of effects and repeating sampled loops....
, Hippolyte Girardot
Hippolyte Girardot
Hippolyte Girardot is a French actor.He is not related to the actress Annie Girardot.-Selected filmography:* 1973: La Femme de Jean, directed by Yannick Bellon, Rémi...
, and Natalia Verbeke
Natalia Verbeke
Natalia Verbeke Leiva, is a Spanish actress, of Argentine and Flemish origin.- Biography :...
. It concerns George (Adebimpe), a shy, bespectacled man who is about to marry a fellow Nigerian American
Nigerian American
Nigerian Americans are citizens of the United States of America who are or descend from immigrants from Nigeria. Since the late 1960s and early 1970s, approximately one million Nigerians have immigrated in to the United States....
woman named Sophie Ochenado, played by Abiola Abrams
Abiola Abrams
Abiola Abrams is an American TV host, internet personality, art filmmaker, and author. She is the author of Dare, a love story retelling of Faust set in the hip hop world and creator of a lifestyle blog and web video series at AbiolaTV.com....
, when he falls for a Spanish woman. It is based on a short film called Jorge. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0192191/
Synopsis
Three days before his wedding, George meets two intriguing people: Alicia (Verbeke), a Spanish woman who invites him to a party that night, and Gerard (Girardot), an unlucky-in-love FrenchmanFrench people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
who has just been turned down for a marriage proposal. To cheer him up, George takes him to Alicia's party. There, George finds himself attracted to Alicia, but she is already dating a British professor, Nathan. A drunk Gerard goes to the roof and attempts suicide, but George talks him out of it by telling him to "jump tomorrow."
Out of gratitude, Gerard offers to drive George to his wedding. On the road, George buys an audiocassette to learn Spanish and secretly fantasizes about Alicia. The movie spoofs Spanish soap operas
Telenovela
A telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
in fantasy sequences where George imagines himself and Alicia as characters on the show. The compassionate Gerard figures out that George is not really in love with his fiancée, a childhood friend whom his family expects him to marry. George is a passive individual who does not seem troubled by the idea of marrying someone he does not love.
George spots Alicia and her boyfriend at a gas station, and Gerard talks George into following them. They all end up at a hotel with a love motif and a variety of strange furniture, including a bathtub in the form of a giant champagne glass
Champagne stemware
Champagne stemware refers to the flute and coupe glasses used in the enjoyment of champagne, other sparkling wines, and certain beers.-Champagne flute:The champagne flûte is a stem glass with a tall, narrow bowl...
. Gerard advises George to gain Alicia's attention by making her jealous. A reluctant George ends up inviting to his room a saleswoman who calls herself "Heather Leather." But he doesn't know that she's allergic to cologne
Eau de Cologne
Eau de Cologne or simply Cologne is a toiletry, a perfume in a style that originated from Cologne, Germany. It is nowadays a generic term for scented formulations in typical concentration of 2-5% essential oils. However as of today cologne is a blend of extracts, alcohol, and water...
, and disaster ensues. He never crosses paths with Alicia, whose boyfriend gives her an engagement ring made of bone. The next day, George wants to resume his journey alone. But Gerard gives a heartfelt speech about love, and he convinces George to stick with him.
Alicia and her fiancé hitch a ride with George and Gerard, thinking their sudden appearance a coincidence. Alicia's fiancé Nathan practices t'ai chi in the rain and argues with Gerard about whether the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
is obsolete. Meanwhile, Alicia and George find themselves falling for each other. When they arrive at the home of Alicia's family, who are meeting Alicia's fiancé for the first time, George wants to leave. But Gerard convinces him to stick around for the night, telling him to "jump tomorrow."
Alicia's fiancé ends up in bed the whole time after Alicia's uncle, a deaf-mute
Deaf-mute
For "deafness", see hearing impairment. For "Deaf" as a cultural term, see Deaf culture. For "inability to speak", see muteness.Deaf-mute is a term which was used historically to identify a person who was both deaf and could not speak...
, offers him a spicy dish he can't handle. The uncle takes a liking to George and teaches him a Spanish dance. Gerard finds himself attracted to Alicia's mother, a widow. They all enjoy the party that night, and George gets a chance to make his move, but he is too shy to proceed.
Gerard and George leave for the wedding. After dropping off George, Gerard heads towards Niagara Falls, where he is finally ready to commit suicide, until by happenstance he meets a little boy who says he gets the best ideas when he is by himself. This makes Gerard realize the root cause of his depression was the fear of going through life without a woman, and that there are times in a man's life where it is good to be alone. This insight makes Gerard realize he should not take his own life. At the ceremony, George declares "I am Jorge" (the Spanish form of George) and calls the wedding off. He and his fiancée Sophie agree at the church that their intended marriage was for convenience and not an ideal match. They also tell the audience that if George's parents were still alive, they would have wanted what George wanted. Gerard and George catch up to Alicia and her fiancé at the border of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where Alicia refuses to emigrate on account of the climate, and George finally expresses his love for her.