WFG RATING: A

Freestyle Digital Media presents a Broken Gates Film production. Written, edited, and directed by Brendan Boogie. Produced by Jeremy Dubs, Chris Goodwin, and Brendan Boogie. Story by Jeremy Dubs and Brendan Boogie. Cinematography by Amanda McGrady. 

Stars Jeremy Dubs, Chris Goodwin, Adwoa Duncan Williams, Rivera Reese, and Laurie Hamfeldt Mahoney.

A disabled musician gets the taste of being famous in this semi-autobiographical comedy from filmmaker Brendan Boogie.

Aleister and Emmett have been friends since childhood. Aleister is afflicted with brittle bone disease and is confined to a wheelchair. However, he has a dream and that’s to be a major rock star. With Emmett, they have a band named Tallywacker. When they score their first local gig at a local club, Aleister meets bartender and aspiring photographer Scarlett only to be interrupted by his overprotective and domineering mother. 

When the band gets a shot at a major gig thanks to Scarlett’s help, Emmett at first feels reserved about the entire thing. However, Aleister is more upbeat and ready to start preparing. However, as Aleister’s popularity begins to soar and becomes the new guitar player for his original opening act, Emmett begins to feel left out and it starts to slowly take its toll on his longtime friendship with him. Will these two be able to overcome the obstacles of fame to keep their friendship going? 

This is quite a great independent film that shows that a disability can be seen as a “different ability” and if you work hard enough, no matter the situation, you can achieve anything. Inspired by the real-life experiences of Jeremy Dubs, a musician who suffers from brittle bone disease, Dubs brings to life the character of Aleister, who finds himself learning the rigors of becoming famous because of both his music and his affliction. 

What is great about Dubs as the character is that he doesn’t feel unperturbed about how people see him. He is out to prove that he can achieve anything as long as he puts his heart into it. It gets to where he even stands up to his mother when she attempts to refuse him to go on tour. Aleister is the hero we all need and living proof you don’t have to be big and strong. He is the epitome of living the dream .

Chris Goodwin is great as Emmett, Aleister’s childhood friend and Tallywacker bandmate. While he eventually feels like he’s become second fiddle to Aleister once his star goes on the rise, he still stands by because he is that good of a friend. Law and Order: Organized Crime’s Rivera Reese brings quite an element to the table as major rock star Carly Major, who can sometimes be outlandish, but in a pivotal scene after cancelling a concert, co-writes a song with Aleister right in her hotel room.

Another standout is Adwoa Duncan Williams as Scarlett, a bartender who becomes Aleister’s personal photographer. Like Aleister, she has a dream as well of becoming a professional in that field and Aleister is willing to help her live her dream as well. While Aleister attempts to see her as someone more than a friend, she slowly begins to like him as well as he sees someone who he can trust as much as Emmett when it comes to knowing exactly who he is. 

The chemistry between Dubs, Goodwin, and Williams, alongside the music, makes Tallywacker a great film about friendship and fame. Sometimes fame can be a friendship killer, but in the case of this, it definitely proves friendship can be stronger than fame.

And kudos to Jeremy Dubs, who is a great musician and proves to be a good actor here as well. In other words, this film is this generation’s Rock Star.

The film will be released on Demand and Digital on November 18.