Director Martin Yernazian has assembled quite the cast for Amelia's 25th, an irreverent yet heartfelt comedy about one struggling actresses not so smooth transition to the age of 25 or, as they call it in Hollywood, "death." 

With a disconnected father, a live-in boyfriend who is struggling financially and a complex of noisy neighbors who call themselves artists, Amelia's (Electra Avellan) life couldn't seem much bleaker. Spanning the course of a single day, Amelia ends up getting guidance and wisdom from a wild array of folks including a movie star, a photographer, casting directors, unemployed actors, sex shop owners, a psychic, a cross-dressing neighbor and others who lead her, as one might expect, down the road to self-acceptance. 

Picked up by indie distrib Breaking Glass Pictures for a home video release, Amelia's 25th features some of Hollywood's A and B-listers in supporting roles including Danny Trejo, Margaret Cho, Robert Rordriguez, and the always delightful Jennifer Tilly. Character actor Michael Biehn also appeared in the film, but his scenes are noted to have been left on the cutting room floor. 

Amelia's 25th would be a terrific film to play six degrees, with the film's cast frequently having connections to one another and those connections being what breathes life and energy into the film. Electra Avellan, for example, appeared in Rodriguez's Grindhouse. While Amelia's 25th doesn't quite live up to the promise of its cast, the Mark Whittington/Nicholes Cole penned script largely holds one's interest even when the performances cross the line into melodrama. 

Amelia and her boyfriend (co-writer Coles) become enmeshed with Don Javier (Trejo) and his wife (Karin Kelts). Despite her own financial issues and inability to break through in Hollywood, Amelia refuses to cruise by on her daddy's (Rodriguez) name. The twists and turns keep happening over the course of the day, and Amelia almost reluctantly ends up getting pushed the direction she needs to go. 

The packaging for Amelia's 25th is the usual quality job from Breaking Glass, though the only extra on the DVD is about a three-minute section of deleted scenes. For anyone who enjoys quality indie cinema and especially films that take on the tinseltown life, Amelia's 25th is definitely worth checking out. 

© Written by Richard Propes 
The Independent Critic