A group of middle-aged NY businessmen who play jazz together for fun get the chance to play a paying gig at a small schmaltzy Catskill resort for two weeks one summer. They decide to take it, but this "dream of a lifetime" isn't all a bed of roses. First they've got to compromise their art by playing the corny polkas and waltzes expected at a joint like that; then they get fired before their two weeks are up when a "big name" singer appears and they can't cut it with him. The potential here is great and some attempt has been made to tap it; for example, the movie explores the following concerns: the amateur vs. the professional, devotion to doing something you really love to do while perhaps not being too good at it vs. being good at something and not really wanting to do it, the jazz musician as an intelligent man, and responsibility to self as well as to other loved ones. There's much effort given to get beyond mere stereotypes. But the script and acting are pretty amateurish, given the fact that the chief actors are all amateurs. The music is terrific, though, played by cornetist Warren Vache, Jr. (who appears in the film) and Kenny Davern, George Masso, Milt Hinton, and others who were dubbed in. Perhaps not saying a lot, but this is one of the best movies about jazz ever made. Definitely worth a watch.
