Review of The First Intervention of Mugsy McVeigh

The First Intervention of Mugsy McVeigh, an independent short film produced by Garden City’s AJ Carpentier, and written and directed by Kevin Wolfring, is an insightful look at the sensitive topic of alcoholism.

The premiere was held at the Bellmore Theater on October 7th and attracted over 300 movie goers who were not disappointed with the show. An early sampling of comments: ‘You guys did an awesome job,’ ‘Cannot wait for the next movie,’ and ‘…the cast and crew were marvelous.’

Utilizing a shade of dark humor that is mixed with the stark reality of a woman battling her inner demons, The First Intervention of Mugsy McVeigh, comes to life in this short film. Mugsy, played by the very believable Chandler Rosenthal, battles herself throughout the film and leaves us feeling that she may actually have a shot at winning the fight, but not without a little help from her friends.

Wolfring tells us that ‘the story is purely fictional, but like all stories is definitely informed by my own experiences. I bartend at the bar we shot the film at, so there’s a tone and vernacular that permeates the project that has a strong real foundation in reality. The relationship between Bartlett and Mugsy is fictional but is a type of relationship that I see and have in my own life.’

Paul Hinkes, in the role of Bartlett, is the perfect match for Rosenthal’s Mugsy, he’s there for her when it’s time to party and drink, but more importantly he was there to help show her there is more to life, a possibly better life, one without drinking. Both Rosenthal and Hinkes

I asked AJ what would be up next for Mugsy? ‘We hope to submit Mugsy into as many festivals as possible. Although it’s a farfetched dream, it’s always been a goal of mine to get to Sundance. My personal hero Kevin Smith got his start there, and it would be incredible to wind up there as well, if not with Mugsy, than with a future project!’ Lofty goals for sure, but based on the initial reaction to Mugsy, it is certainly a goal that can be accomplished.

The short is both Kevin and AJ’s initial film and could not have been a better first showing! Wolfring told me that he had the general idea for Mugsy a few years ago. ‘The broad strokes of the story, the central character, the predisposition to flights of fantasy, and the core relationship of the film was all there, I started writing the script about a year and a half before we completed the film.’

Carpentier talked about the success of the film – ‘As far as the creation of the film, I really believe that every single member of our team was crucial. If you removed any one person who worked directly on the film, it wouldn’t have been what it was. Everyone went above and beyond their roles to make sure that we created an exceptional film, while maintaining such a fun and familial atmosphere. On a personal level, I have to thank my girlfriend, Alex Lennon, not only for her outstanding work on the project, but also in regard to keeping my head level and teaching me how to step back and view the project from a more objective standpoint when I would overthink things too much. I also have to thank my parents for all their love and support, not only during the film but throughout my entire life. And a special thank you to Micheal Shield, who showed me that working in entertainment wasn’t just a farfetched dream, but could actually become a reality.

Kevin spoke to me about what made this all possible, ‘in a very general sense, my parents. In terms of the skills that I used on this project, I’d have to say Ken Frank. He was my 7th grade English teacher who taught me how to write my first script, ran the film making club at my school, and writes and directs films of his own. Without his guidance I wouldn’t be half of the filmmaker that I am now.’

Tying the project together was the soundtrack, music that reflected the mood of the scene. Wolfring related that ‘music drove a lot of the project from the beginning. When it came to picking out the music for the film a lot of it was stuff that I heard throughout production. I wanted to feature as many local, up and coming artists as I could. I wanted the score to be representative of the kind of musical diversity you would get off of a jukebox at a bar on any given night. The final song in the film is by a friend of a friend I met when I was drunk at a BBQ. Her band is Dakota Jones.’

Through the hard work of many family and friends of Carpentier and Wolfring, the premiere of The First Intervention of Mugsy McVeigh was a success and should lead the duo to bigger and better productions.

For insights into the film check them out @MugsyFilm on Facebook and a montage of pictures from the premiere at https://youtu.be/5ABxUyUuvj8.