A Glass of Water

And Everything Is Going Fine was, to me, more than just the story of a man’s life. While the story and narration of Mr. Spalding Gray was the main focus of the film, I saw the film as a lesson to actors as well. I found it fascinating just how far this small-town, rural boy had to go just to find work in his chosen field; all the time he spent on the road or in the air or on the other side of the planet. Any career is an investment, but Gray had to invest an incredible amount of time, effort, and resources to get to where he needed to be. It showed just what kind of crap some actors have to wade through to simply catch a break, often having to go way outside of their comfort zones and simply being in the right place at the right time simply to earn a paycheck. To even become a name recognized in the acting ‘underground’ you have to have a frightening level of talent, desire, and even dumb luck to succeed.

And Everything Is Going Fine wasn’t just a life story; it was a message to aspiring actors that sometimes the impossible must be accomplished to reach your goals, no matter what life throws in your way. It may be a simple moral to teach, but the way Gray presented it and the way the film was directed it becomes a powerful moral.

And on another note, I liked the touch with the glass of water at both the beginning and end of the film. Gray was all about telling stories, and just as we all discussed after the movie, when he was done he felt he had no other purpose. The glass was a representation of his inspiration of story-telling; he started with a well of memories to pull from, and eventually went through it all so many times he felt it didn’t have the inspiration to be drawn from again.

- Garrett