Self-confidence is one thing that can be hard to obtain, depending on your life. I had trouble stepping out of my comfort zone even as a kid, to the point where I got forced out of it numerous times, thus leading to some questionable traits. But why talk about those when we can talk about a documentary that takes us on a trip from Toronto to all around the US as we do an inner search on someone we rarely know? It might be enough to make one search themselves.
Told from the story of a film director named Nem Stankovic, he talks about his good friend Tommy (Thomas Lee), as you may have guessed. Tommy is an extremely friendly and outgoing person, he’s 40 years old, lives with his parents and has never even dated someone. Despite caring for everyone else, he doesn’t care about himself, having no confidence. Tommy wants to prove to himself that he can be better and goes to his best friend for help to change himself and improve the quality of his life. Tommy says he wants to do the trip but is unsure he can get a woman. Truth to be told, it was easy for me, but I guess things are different in Toronto. First off, Nem gives him a lesson on Sex Ed and gets him in touch with other experts. Next they go to a party to get wasted, receive his first kiss even if it is from a complete stranger, and do all the other stuff people do on Spring Break (this stuff could be coming back, COVID’s almost a thing of the past). He also gets a complete makeover, speaks to some of his role-models for advice, get an actual bank account (he still had an allowance from his parents), reason with his strict parents, and then take a trip for 3 weeks to different locations. They go to New York first, for some more first time experiences and plenty of fun loving good times even if Tommy does get rejected and not quite a girlfriend. Their next destination is Miami, for beach fun and for Nem to make some things clear for Tommy so he can break free. Tommy also decides to cook for the first time ever, and experiencing a strip club. After things get out of hand, Nem and Tommy and their friends go to their next trip on the journey, which is camping out in Red Woods, California, then go to Los Angeles for some more simpler activities like laundry, get a job in athletics or sportscasting, and purchasing necessities. Of course, it’s not only Tommy who needs to get on his feet and get out there. We learn that near the end.
A fair amount of the documentary’s subject matter is pretty adult and iffy, especially with trying to get Tommy to lose his virginity but things get more personal near the end and we learn not just something else about Tommy but a little more about Nem that really sets things in a different tone after so much humour followed by drama and confrontation. It’s a documentary that shows the fun and consequences of adulting when you try to unwind. It also shows a lot of interesting locations and what to do at them. But ultimately, it shows that not everyone has confidence and it’s hard to achieve at times. I found myself relating to Tommy an awful lot, especially near the end. Even though I have achieved a lot, I definitely felt I’ve been held back from a lot in my life. Ultimately, life is a party. But are you partaking or just a wallflower? This documentary just might have you figuring that out for yourself.
