Gerry (Jorge Diaz) is a fun-loving and popular goofball who plays basketball, video games, and the ladies while pretty much coasting through high school. Being the class clown isn't alway so great when no one really takes you seriously on the important stuff. When he meets Melinda (Angelina Leon), a serious and straight-laced student who is about a lot more than simply "fun," he quickly starts to learn that life is truly about more than simply fun and games. 

Set in the real life San Francisco suburb of Concord, California, Love, Concord is an entertaining and warm romantic comedy that serves up the reminder that really reaching one's highest potential involves a little bit of humor and a whole lot of heart. 

Coming to home video with FilmWorks Entertainment, this is a film that cruises by on the likability of its main players despite the fact that pretty much every high school "student" in the film looks considerably older than a high school student. Writer/director Gustavo Guardado Jr. in some ways has crafted what feels like one of those charming, lighthearted 80's teen romantic comedies where you didn't necessarily laugh a lot and you didn't really cry, but you sure left the theater feeling a lot better than when you went in. He also nicely utilizes animation in a way that flows nicely with the film without ever feeling like a gimmick. 

You'll have to see it for yourself. 

Love, Concord isn't the kind of film that will blow you away, but Michael Guardado's original music companions the film nicely and Jonathan Bowerbank's lensing is warm and comfortable. The two lead performances are both winning, with Diaz giving off a young Gael Garcia Bernal vibe while Angelina Leon really shines as a young lady whose stability may very well be exactly what Gerry needs to move forward. 

The film is now available on DVD and features a number of DVD extras including a behind-the-scenes featurette, bloopers, audio commentary, trailer, and a photo gallery. 

© Written by Richard Propes 
The Independent Critic