| All the Help You Need: The Adventures of a Hollywood Handyman ------------------------------------------------------------------------ During an active career, thesp Tim Ryan has enjoyed success on Broadway ("Coastal Disturbances"), film and TV ("China Beach," "Gabriel's Fire," "Crossing Jordan") and "lots of commercials." But in 2000, with the SAG strike eliminating his commercial loot and a wife and child to support, Ryan took out a newspaper ad that offered himself to give "All the Help You Need." Ryan recounts a cathartic journey of self-discovery, infused with the myriad personalities he encountered as he invaded the homes of countless Angelenos, tool box in hand. A gifted mimic, Ryan is able to capture the essence of the many disrepair-plagued personalities who have sought his services. Surprisingly, there are a number of burly tough guys who prefer someone else to do the work. One of the more memorable is foul-mouthed Teutonic construction boss Werner, whose Schwarzenegger-like accent takes on added weight as he hurls an endless stream of creative invective at his work crew. Shifting to a decidedly East Coast persona, Ryan relates his home repair encounters with Vic, who possessed the girth and the accent of a Tony Soprano hit man. The man who makes Ryan most nervous is "Killer" Jack, a retired LAPD SWAT commander, who spends most of his time cleaning his gun while regaling the handyman with his opinion that the convicted Rampart Division police officers got a bum rap, since "they were only doing their job." Ryan also flows in and out of the personalities of a number of colorful ladies, including a Filipino stripper with "magnificent breasts" who turned out to be a man; single mom Elise, who had a deranged lesbian lover; and a series of hookers who always "tipped very well." One of the more poignant requests comes from an elderly Jewish man who asks Ryan to build him a sukkah (a ceremonial outdoor structure) to evoke the memories of the kind gentleman's former life in Israel. As Ryan tells it, he must have done a good job, because soon he's inundated with requests to build sukkahs throughout the Fairfax district. In most of his narrative, Ryan takes a fundamentally lighthearted, emotionally detached approach to his handyman tasks, taking the work that appeals to him and palming off other requests to Mark, his out-of-work screenwriter friend. Until, that is, Valentine's Day 2001, a day Ryan recalls as if reliving a nightmare in vivid detail. That morning he went to Tarzana to do some repairs for a middle-aged artist named Kitty. Once inside, he and Kitty were confronted by the woman's ex-boyfriend and his three guns. The lethal events that occurred led to Ryan's conscience-driven re-evaluation of his life, including his attitude toward the people who invite him to enter their homes and their lives. "All the Help You Need" could use a bit more fleshing out if it's to move on to a more upscale production. With helmer Christopher Fessenden's understated guidance, Ryan certainly demonstrates the talent and the perspective to turn this 60-minute dramatic recollection into an impressive legit work. |
Variety Review
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