Would you be surprised if I told you there was an annual ventriloquist convention? Probably not. Nowadays, there’s a convention for everything. You will be surprised, however, how inspired you’ll be by the stories of Dumbstruck, I know I was. The documentary follows five different people in various stages of their career/life who are trying to make it big,from 13-year-old Dylan Burdette, who´s just starting out, to Terry Fator who signed a $100 million contract at the Mirage in Las Vegas.
First-time feature director, Mark Goffman, had an equally interesting story on how the film came about. It’s too good not to mention it though.
The Idea:
The inspiration for this film began in Los Angeles, when Marlene Cohen put a sock on her hand and stood up to give a toast at her daughter Lindsay’s wedding. The generally soft-spoken Cohen, a schoolteacher with a penchant for using ventriloquism to keep her students engaged, had the room enraptured. She had quite literally turned into a completely different person.Lindsay and her new husband Mark were dumbstruck by her performance. It was then that Marlene told the Goffmans about an annual ventriloquist convention—in fact the only ventriloquist convention in the world—that she planned to attend in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky, where close to 500 ventriloquists and their dummies meet, greet and share stories.
Mark and Lindsay accompanied Marlene to the convention and it proved to be unlike anything they could have imagined; a cornucopia of people from all walks of life with gesticulating wooden puppets and talking, singing and telling jokes in a dizzying range of voices. Producer Lindsay Goffman says, “There’s a charm to every element of this community.” Ventriloquists from all over the United States and even the globe had converged to fit a worldwide community into one building. The Goffmans had discovered a world that needed to be brought to the screen.
The heart of the film is the relationships the “vents” have with the people in their lives. Dylan’s father is lost in being able to relate to his son and tries hard to get him into his hobby of motorcross so he can bond with him. Kim’s mom just wants her to settle down and raise a family rather than play with her “puppet children.” Dan, who is quite successful on the cruiseline circuit, splits up with his wife because of the time he spends away from home. Wilma, who has been outcast by her family, turns to her new family when she’s about to lose her house. Terry’s father never thought he was good enough and doesn’t even show when he comes back to a sold-out show in his hometown. The film is not about ventriloquists, they just happen to be them.
As you’ve guessed by now, I really enjoyed the film and thought the pace and storytelling were very entertaining. I have a new found respect for ventriloquists. Something that I never realized, that is quite obvious, is that a ventriloquist needs to be funny, and is therefore actually a comedian. So on top not moving your lips, manipulating a puppet and having a conversation with yourself, you have a make jokes. Whew.
Rating: Funny and heart-warming. 8/10
Awards
- Voted Best of the Fest – Palm Springs International Film Festival
- Winner Best Documentary Film – Mountain Film Festival
- Winner Audience Award – Friars Club Comedy Film Festival
Limited release, check local listings.
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