Double Trouble

"I just thought that The Jerk is one of those films that, as funny and fantastic as it is, to me is kind of a heartwarmer,” explains Keith Garcia, programming director for the Denver Film Society. “Part of the Seeing Double program is looking at two films that share some commonality but are still wildly different, and I wanted to do a very merry Seeing Double.”

He achieved his goal with Seeing Double: The Jerk with Elf. “The two films are such great vehicles for Steve Martin and Will Ferrell, early in the career, a one-man show; they carry the common thread of these outcasts who try to fit into a family they obviously were not meant to be a part of, who then get thrust into real life, and what happens next.”

The Jerk follows Martin’s Navin Johnson, a white boy raised in a family of black sharecroppers who doesn’t know he’s adopted until he reaches adulthood. Shocked, Navin heads off into the world to seek his fortune. And Elf features Ferrell at his best as Buddy, the orphan who climbed undetected into Santa’s sack of toys on Christmas Eve; when Buddy grows to be three times the size of his adoptive family, he sets off for New York City to uncover his roots.

“I can’t think of a more fun way to get into the holiday spirit,” Garcia concludes.

Catch Seeing Double tonight at 7 p.m. or Saturday at 2:30 p.m.; admission is $6 to $9.50 and includes both screenings. Visit www.denverfilm.org or call 303-595-3456 for information.
Thu., Dec. 18, 7 p.m.; Sat., Dec. 20, 2:30 p.m., 2008