ASPEN EXTREME is really two films in one and if writer/director Patrick Hasburgh had focused more directly on the intimate story of two young men in an alien environment, and its effect on their relationship, he would have had a much more successful outcome. As it is, the film
continually leans towards intelligence and even poignancy but then gives way to pretty pictures and nonsensical fluff.
T.J. (Paul Gross) and Dexter (Peter Berg) are two twentysomethings spinning their wheels in Detroit. T.J. is a bright and handsome assembly line worker, and an aspiring writer, while Dex is a quirky maintenance man at a suburban ski center. They both share a passion for skiing, and T.J. soon
convinces Dex to move to Aspen, Colorado. Unable to find affordable housing there, they live in T.J.'s van until a friendly disc jockey, Robin (Teri Polo) tells them about a converted caboose ten miles out of town.
T.J. soon attracts the attention of the town's wealthy women, particularly the provocative and successful Bryce Kellogg (Finola Hughes), who encourages his writing, and soon they are lovers. Dex, who was only accepted into the prestigious ski squad because of T.J., is relegated to teaching kids
how to ski. The season ends, and, unhappy with Bryce's treatment of him, T.J. begins a relationship with Robin. Dex is suspended from work, and spends time with local drug dealers, enraging one when he loses his nerve during a deal, dumping the cocaine down the toilet. T.J. rescues Dex by
borrowing the money from Bryce, and then feels obliged to move in with her.
As the new ski season approaches, Robin helps Dex clean up his act, and he asks T.J. to be his partner in a ski competition. They practice on a closed slope causing a huge avalanche which kills Dex. T.J. moves back into the caboose and writes "Aspen Extreme," an emotional account of his
experiences with Dex, which is published in a national magazine. After entering the ski competition with another young skier and winning it for Dex, T.J. and Robin are reunited.
ASPEN EXTREME comes close to being a memorable film. Unfortunately, too many factors come into play which work against the picture. Director Hasburgh's tendency to divert attention away from the dramatic elements of the story to show us yet another picturesque angle of Aspen's wondrous
mountains, or a pointless ski sequence, slow the film's momentum considerably. The generally compelling story also gets sidetracked with unnecessary characters and an overly predictable ending which weakens the entire story.
More successful is the casting of relative unknowns in the pivotal roles. Hasburgh is fortunate to have two leading men in Gross and Berg who have great chemistry and genuine depth. Gross plays golden boy T.J. with a knowing sense of someone who has long relied on looks and charm and now has to
make the transition to real human being. Berg brings a certain confused aloofness to the role of Dexter which works remarkably well. His strongest scene, waiting for the drug pick-up, is the film's high point.
The supporting cast does a good job, particularly Hughes as the socialite Bryce--a role tailor-made for her. The script is fine when it focuses on the relationships of its characters. T.J.'s catharsis, after Dex is killed, and his writing about their time together is well scribed and moving.
Writer Hasburgh has some interesting things to say about values and blue collar people in a place that favors image over substance. The inclusion of a ROCKY-style happy ending was an unhappy miscalculation, which undermines this otherwise generally appealing film.
The advertisements for ASPEN EXTREME showed a lot of skin; a common enough marketing tool, but unnecessary in this case (and dishonest, since many of the scenes portrayed aren't actually in the film). The director and producers should have taken a hard look at the inner story they had and
trusted its true virtues--loyalty and emotional maturation. (Profanity, substance abuse.) leave a comment
