Weir the "Pop Star" premieres in Seattle
New documentary charts skater's ups and downs
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| Johnny Weir is known for his costumes, like this swan outfit at the 2006 Olympics. (Getty Images) |
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The title fits Barba and Pellerito's intimate and endearing profile of the champion figure skater perfectly. Pop Star on Ice made its world premiere before a full house at the Egyptian Theater during the 35th Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF).
SIFF programming manager Beth Barrett, one of the film's biggest boosters, introduced the directors before the screening and conducted the question-and-answer session afterwards. If they looked a little nervous, the two spoke with enthusiasm, and Barrett later confirmed that the Columbia grads were just as anxious as they appeared.
Barba opened by exclaiming, "We are so thrilled to have our premiere here." Unfortunately, he said, their subject would not be joining them, adding that "he hopes you enjoy the film. He wanted to be here, but he just couldn't."
After the screening, Pellerito explained that Weir's coach, Galina Zmievskaya, recommended that he skip the trip to the West Coast to concentrate on his training instead.
Unlike most sports documentaries, Weir narrates his life story, creating a sort of diary or memoir effect. He talks about growing up in rural Pennsylvania and even returns for a visit to his childhood home, where he learned to skate in the frozen backyard cornfield, and his elementary school, where he speaks in front of an eager student body.
His first grade teacher, Tawn Battiste, says about the young Johnny, "He was completely his own self."
When one little boy asks if he's rich, Weir smiles and answers, "Not yet."
In the film, Weir doesn't hold back about his hopes and dreams, but he's just as forthcoming about his failings. The 24-year-old makes it clear from the outset that "I want to be an Olympic champion," but he knows that time is running out.
Says his personal trainer, "He can do anything, but there's just something stopping him," though she admits that she doesn't know what it is. Like several other interviewees, four-time world champion Kurt Browning praises Weir as "a complete natural."
For most of the 85-minute movie, Barba and Pellerito track the ups and downs of Johnny's career. About 2003, the year he hit the wall, Weir states, "I got what I deserve," but that that spectacularly public failure also drove him to prove his doubters wrong.
He also admits that he prefers jumps to spins and that, as a figure skater, "I'm supposed to have a calm soul," but he just can't resist expressing his feelings, and the film features some of his more colorful press conference comments, tears of joy and sorrow and some tense moments between Weir and Priscilla Hill towards the end of their partnership.
For her part, Hill feels Weir "has all the ability in the world."
Though he split with his first coach during the course of filming, Weir continues to honor their 10-year union, readily acknowledging that "Priscilla gave me my skating career."
Hill and frequent competitor, Evan Lysacek, the current world champ, appear on screen almost as often as Weir does.
If Pop Star doesn't end with a fourth national championship, that possibility seems less remote now than it did a year ago. Pellerito said during the Q&A, "The point is that he recommitted himself to the sport."
Weir says on camera, "I want to keep skating because it's what I love to do."
That love comes through loud and clear. As does his charismatic personality, impish humor and distinctive fashion sense, both on and off the ice.
Though it isn't mentioned in the film, Napoleon Dynamite's Jon Heder based his flamboyant Jimmy MacElroy character in the 2007 hit comedy, Blades of Glory, on Weir. The filmmakers say Weir wasn't the least bit offended by Heder's portrayal, in which a peacock takes the place of his signature swan outfit, but that he found it in "great fun."
While some journalists have had trouble soliciting comments from other figure skaters about their outspoken subject, this duo had no such difficulties. Afterwards, Pellerito said it was probably because they've "been around the circuit longer," which is fortunate, since they aren't finished filming.
Speakers include such familiar names and faces as Brian Boitano, Scott Hamilton, Viktor Petrenko, and Zmievskaya's former student, Oksana Baiul, who inspired Weir to turn to the ice in the first place. Weir's mother, Patti, and best friend, Paris, also show up frequently (his camera-shy father, John, shows up a few times but does not speak).
While the film is complete, the directors are also working on a documentary series. The former will air on the Sundance Channel this fall before the Grand Prix, while the latter will air for seven consecutive Mondays leading up to the 2010 Olympic Games.
Though a theatrical release isn't out of the question, the two are concentrating on festival screenings for the moment, and they were pleased with the reception they received in Seattle on an uncharacteristically sunny summer day. After the Q&A, the friendly filmmakers lingered in the lobby to take photographs and to speak with friends and admirers, including a woman who had traveled all the way from Minnesota to see the film.
The next SIFF screening takes place at the Kirkland Performance Center on June 5. For the rest of the month, Barba and Pellerito are planning on festival showings in Newport, R.I.; Provincetown, Mass.; Silver Spring, Md.; and San Francisco. They're counting on Weir to be in attendance for the New York premiere at NewFest on June 11, since he lives in the area. Though the helmers haven't yet set a date for the DVD release, they're already looking forward to it and promise to include some enjoyable extras.
For more information, please visit the official Web site.