It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Albert Einstein is reputed to have said "Things should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." That's what I look for in movie gems. This is one in my opinion. When trying to pinpoint why this movie was so good, I looked up the bio of the director/writer Michael Matzdorff and found the man to be one very well rounded and accomplished in movie making. Matzdorff has cinema credits for editing, directing, producing,writing, cinematography and acting, not to mention composing. He certainly has the wherewithal to make a movie and know what he wants to do a good job. This is an 'inde' low budget movie with great appeal. The script is simply smart.The IMDb full storyline provides a pretty good idea of the setup. It is what Matzdorff makes of it that I is a tribute to his talent. No detail is wasted; it all has a purpose. It is easy to follow and has a definite path; it takes us on a journey we can all relate to. We can't tell where it will lead but it is a joy to go along. There were only two actors I was, and you may as well, be familiar with: Tony Shalhoub and Barry Corbin. They are fine accomplished actors and it shows; without them I certainly might have given the movie a pass. The main character, Joe Peterson played by Ross Partridge is an unpretentious, most ordinary yet talented writer and illustrator who is in a rut, but in the beautiful roughed north country of Wisconsin at Charismas time finds what he was missing in his life. The character development by the cast ensemble is nothing short of endearing by its casualness. There are some very funny moments that come when they are needed to keep you watching. One such instance when Tony Shalhoub bursts out laughing will make you laugh for certain but for reasons everyone could explain only by the saying 'you had to be there'. That's a sign of great writing and directing, considering you later find out the reason for Shaloub's hysteria was in fact a profoundly sad memory from his childhood. There is a romance story in the movie of course, it's a romantic comedy, but it is not the focus of the film; bonding and friendship in the midst of nature's solitude is how I'd summarize the movie.It will leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling as well a put you in a good mood. If at all possible, watch it early on a Saturday morning; it will set the mood for a wonderful week-end with the one(s) you most like to be with. Ladies, if your partner watches this with you when I suggest, perhaps over breakfast, he will be putty in your hands for the rest of the week-end. Needless to say, the mediocre ratings are to be ignored, as sometimes they need to. p.s. Normally I discover musical artist through movies, but here it was the other way around. TD Lind, a singer songwriter I like, wrote the score; that's how I discovered this movie. Given Matzdorff is himself a composer, to have picked Lind for the score says something about his talent.

Starting off this movie seemed kind of interesting and quirky. It definitely had the potential to be a good, off beat romantic comedy, but sadly it just falls flat. The lack of character and relationship development makes the story seem rather sterile and leaves you not really believing or caring about the characters. Things just seemed kind of rushed, as if the director was trying to put too much story, and relationships, into a too little time frame which leaves the viewer withdrawn and unable to form an emotional bond with any of the characters. I would have liked to see more about the relationship between the sheriff and his father, as well as a longer courtship between Sif and Joe. The story line just seemed very disjointed and unable to take advantage of it's full potential. I could not say I really did not like it, was just disappointed it was not as good as it could have been and turned out to be a bellow average romantic comedy.

"Feed the Fish" is one of those quirky, dark comedies set in the dead of winter in the dead of Wisconsin. That's what I thought it was, and I was mostly right. "Dark" is the part that I was wrong about. But forgive me because it started in Venice, California with our hero Joe (Ross Partridge) talking about his successful children's book "Mr. Kitty Feeds the Fish" which was a hit because kids love violence! The irreverent humour at the beginning — like how there will likely be a lawsuit if his second book has kids stuck under the ice, or when his best friend was flushed down a toilet — eroded into a predictable romantic comedy. I do love the fusion of different genres and I even like romantic comedies, but the beginning was better than what it became.Suffering from writer's block, Joe is off to Ellison Bay, Wisconsin with a friend. JP is there for the Polar Bear Plunge, Joe is there for rejuvenation. But upon arrival, Joe meets a girl, and JP meets with a joke that doesn't work, a badger attacked his groin area. There were a whole series of re-attaching testicle jokes—none of them work.The girl is beautiful, single, smart, strong and independent. Of course she is, she's the main squeeze, supporting character, did you expect her to be anything less than perfect? But her father is a gun-toting, unpleasant sheriff (Tony Shalhoub) and Joe has to prove that he's worthy of his daughter's affections."Feed the Fish" would have been funnier, more original, and authentic if they stayed with the dark comedy beginning. For every witty joke, there would be two disctinctly unfunny jokes (usually about testicles and/or a badger), which is too bad because this is a better movie than that.

Caught the cast and crew premiere of this romantic comedy (a genre I most often hate with a passion --think "New In Town"-- ), at a fine old Green Bay, Wisconsin movie-house this weekend. I presumed I would dislike it. WHAT A SURPRISE. The writer/director must be a comic writer or have hundreds of "funny" bones throughout his body, because there were loud laughs (two or more) during every scene! The film isn't so much about romance, as it pretends to be. It's about community, acceptance, and forgiving others --along with yourself. But COMEDY is so hard to pull off. Yet, wonder of wonders, this film feels REAL. And that makes the humor even funnier. From slapstick to comedy-of-embarrassment, from classic bedroom farce to intellectual jokes, all played equally well. The audience greeted it with consistent, loud laughter throughout the rough-cut. No big stars here, save Tony Shalhoub, but all the players were excellent character actors, up-and-comers, and/or stock roles that shone as brightly as the old pros who came on board. Maybe well see more of Matzdorff.