'Janji Joni' a simple comedy adventure

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Janji Joni *** (out of ****); Comedy/Adventure, 85 minutes; Starring Nicholas Saputra, Mariana Renata, Rachel Maryam, Surya Saputra; Written and directed by Joko Anwar; A Kalyana Shira Film production; In Bahasa Indonesia

If you were a first-time director, unless you are Francois Truffaut, it is best to avoid running around with big ideas and colossal themes.

Especially when making movies with limited resources in the film industry that barely exist, where even scriptwriting is a skill that only few have mastered.

First-time director Joko Anwar, also The Jakarta Post's regular movie columnist, knows his limits and has tried not to be bigger than he really is.

Although he has written Arisan! (Gathering), an urban satire, which became a hit 2004 and the winner of last year's Indonesian Film Festival (FFI), Joko opted to hit a lighter note with his first feature film Janji Joni (Joni's Promise).

While Arisan! is a drama of cosmopolitan city slickers, which include closeted gays and betrayed housewives seeking vengeance, Janji is a simple story about a delivery boy trying to make it on time.

Yet, like Arisan!, Janji shows meticulous work on the scriptwriting front with good attention to detail and characterizations.

It is a simple comedy adventure in a one-day span, which is basically about nothing, but makes for a fun, fresh and enjoyable entertainment, all in a witty and heartwarming action film.

The idea is pretty original, about Joni (Nicholas), a film reel delivery boy who has to go back and forth between two movie theaters which share reels.

While it has not occurred in the United States since the 1970s or so, sharing reels between cinemas still exists here, as illustrated in the beginning of the film (including through animation).

One day, Joni falls for a beautiful stranger he met at the cinema he works at, who would only reveal her name if Joni promises to deliver the reels on time.

Alas, it seems that the whole city conspires against Joni that day, as he stumbles upon one obstacle after another in his motorbike journey.

Accidents happen, character after character pours in, but impressively, they are woven intricately into a plot that is carefully treated, does not drag nor jerk, and is strangely believable.

In technical terms, Janji is even an improvement on Arisan!, as the editing is pretty good and the pace is mostly correct.

Praise also on the art direction, a the whole retro atmosphere and feel are captured quite well, and thumbs up for the excellent music score and soundtrack from a good selection of indie musicians. Although in some ways, it felt like too many songs were forced into the movie.

The downside is the dialogs and gestures, which are obviously and overly influenced by American films.

There are also too many characters and cameos. It would not have hurt if most were removed, as it would not have disturbed the plot, but instead would make it a more focused story.

Speaking of cameos, it was a great comeback for Barry Prima, a B-movie action flick star, who for the first time shows his comic side as a chatty taxi driver and does it well.

As for the main actors, Nicholas is not bad, and believable as a naive and goodhearted young man, but too often he delivers lines like delivering an ad lib stand-up comic gig.

Meanwhile, casting Eurasian model Mariana here is not as damaging as putting Sofia Coppola in The Godfather: Part III. But Mariana's accented Indonesian and stiff act makes for a hollow character that is a bit offensive to women and an annoyance on screen.

Yet, as a whole, Janji Joni works quite well. Traces of first time directing show (luckily, it is in tune with the raw and gritty atmosphere), but it is far more fluent than most recent releases from more experienced directors.

Hopefully, and quite possibly, it is a sign of good things to come for Joko and the movie-going public.