Jan
9
2009
"Chillicothe" Turns Ten
Want to make me feel old? Tell me that the first film I produced is ten years old this month. But I look back on this beautiful underdog of a movie with great affection. Written and directed by my brother Todd Edwards, Chillicothe follows a year in the life of four post-college friends as they ask the looming question, “What now?” It was filled with inside jokes and experiences from our real lives, and many working on the film also played versions of themselves.
Todd was the lead and I played his brother. Two of the other producers played big parts as college friends. My sister has several great scenes as the “female voice of reason” in Todd’s life. It was made on the super-cheap and ended up at Sundance in 1999. To this day, people still tell us how it has inspired them, made them laugh, and made them get off their own butts to do something significant with their lives.
I talk about following your dreams a lot on this blog, and about the hardships and responsibilities that come with it. Chillicothe was not only a film about that, but it WAS that for many of us starting out. “Labor of Love” is not a strong enough phrase. And for the record, it’s pronounced “Chill-uh-KOTH-ee.” It’s a town in Ohio. It is not a wookie’s name.
I discovered the production notes, still online, HERE. They give a lot of great details, even though most of the info is now way out of date. Todd even started a Facebook Reunion Forum with some fun photos and memories.
