Written and directed by Steven Tsapelas, at 12 years old, Queens, New York resident Dorothy March was the most famous Bigfoot researcher in the world. Now, 20 years later, she must reluctantly reemerge from a long disappearance to reunite with her friends and investigate a new clue in the search for the legendary cryptid. Starring: Kathryn Mayer, Samantha Sayah, Meghan Palmer, Kevin Wolfring, Olivia Hellman, Jerry Colpitts and Paolo Kossi.
As soon as you enter The Bigfoot Club, Steven Tsapelas fills the atmosphere with the feel of good old-fashioned adventure, and it’s charming. It harks back to family cinema of the 1980s, wholesome, curious and enthusiastic, and the visual nicely matches that. Those choices help the film build a foundation of sincerity, with what otherwise could have felt too silly or cheesy, allowing it to naturally draw viewers in. In the first half of the film when it’s exploring those elements, especially with a character like Dorothy (Kathryn Mayer), who’s so traditional and analogue, it works really well but in its latter half when it tries to veer into romantic territory, it weakens.
The change feels far too sentimental, and though its admirable intention is to capture a moment of empathy and connection, it feels too structured. It drifts away from the identity it has built into an understated, 1990s style romcom, and sadly it simply doesn’t work as well. Part of that is how they build Paolo Kossi’s character, it makes sense but at the same time his blankness doesn’t translate well onto the screen. It feels somewhat cold and bland, he doesn’t spark a true chemistry Mayer’s Dorothy to take the story where it wanted to go, despite working on paper, although that’s no fault of Kossi’s performance.
The performances on the whole are well done, particularly Kathryn Mayer who is the glue that brings The Bigfoot Club together. The way that Mayer can capture her unique blend of naivety, intelligence and honesty, without making her feel meek, was impressive. She makes for a great lead and boosts all the performances of the supporting cast. Olivia Hellman stands out most among them as her fan girl persona is sweet and hyperactive, yet there’s also the space for Hellman to let us see the person behind that bright energy, rounding her out nicely. The friendship that Hellman’s Esme and Mayer’s Dorothy build is actually quite touching, each helping the other realise the direction they need to follow.
The Bigfoot Club is old-school in the most charming of ways, transporting viewers back to a time of simpler cinema, wholesome and joyous. It starts off strong but sadly loses its way towards the end, wading into sentimental territory and moving away from its natural curiosity. However, it’s thoughtfully crafted, the performances are sweet and capture a good blend of the traditional and modern. It’s a good adventure with a nostalgic feel but doesn’t quite reach its full potential.
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