Maysville Image

Maysville

By Jason Delgado | February 9, 2022

If you’ve ever watched a Lifetime movie and thought, “I wish all of this drama and craziness were centered on a man, instead of a woman,” then writer/director Leslie Goyette’s Maysville may be the film for you. What starts out as a run of the mill coming of age flick about two teenage best buddies quickly develops into a melodramatic soap opera, complete with unbelievable developments, cheesy dialogue, and some stiff acting.

The story revolves around the young Teddy Rogers (played by Holden Goyette in the beginning, and later on by Kevin Mayr), who is growing up in a small, rural town during Prohibition. Teddy is best friends with Willy Stamper (Forrest Campbell), and it’s explained in voice-over that their dads hated each other before Teddy’s father passed away.

Then tragedy strikes, and this is where Maysville goes bonkers. There’s a tractor accident on the farm, where Willy gets tripped up, and Teddy runs over him by mistake. Everyone is devastated by Willy’s death, but his father Buck (Brian Sutherland) spins into a downward spiral of rage and depression. In the middle of the night, Buck kidnaps Teddy at gunpoint while Teddy’s mom, Clara (Trin Miller), is in hysterics. Clara strangely waits until the next day to go to the police, where a deputy tells her that the sheriff is out of town and there’s nothing that he can do.

“…Buck kidnaps Teddy at gunpoint…”

Meanwhile, Teddy is being abused both physically and emotionally, essentially being used as a slave. When the sheriff finally gets back into town, he and Clara go to Buck’s house, where they see Teddy with bruises all over his face. Visibly scared for his life, Teddy tells them that he wants to stay with Buck. The sheriff stupidly says that there’s nothing that he can do if Teddy wants to stay. If anywhere should defund the police, it is this town.

Inexplicably, four freaking years pass with Teddy living through hell, and he never tries to escape, nor does his mother try to come and get him again. You would think that Buck would grow to have some sort of love and fondness for Teddy over the years, but no. The man still hates him as if the tractor accident were yesterday. Buck tries to burn Teddy alive, but he escapes and heads to the town of Maysville, where he attempts to start a new life from scratch.

All the aforementioned madness of Maysville takes place in the first act. You cannot even imagine the ludicrous twists and turns in store later on. There’s a requisite love story with Teddy and a young lady named Elizabeth, played by Cheyenne Barton, who is most wonderful in the role. Brian Sutherland also does a great job of being the kind of villain who you love to hate, even though the character is so one-dimensional.

Maysville does a fine job of making the viewer feel as if they have been transported to a small town from the past through the nicely constructed sets, locations, and wardrobe. I also enjoyed the inspirational if familiar score. However, it’s a shame that the rest of the film isn’t up to par. This is because some actors leave much to be desired while the writing is far too unbelievable and ridiculous.

Maysville (2022)

Directed and Written: Leslie Goyette

Starring: Holden Goyette, Kevin Mayr,  Forrest Campbell, Brian Sutherland, Cheyenne Barton, Trin Miller, etc.

Movie score: 5/10

Maysville Image

"…Cheyenne Barton...is most wonderful..."

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  1. Lanora says:

    For her small budget. It was overall a good movie that keep your attention..
    The ending.. I said, I be damned!
    This was the first movie that I didn’t figure out the ending, before the ending!

  2. Fran says:

    I found the ending hard to understand. How was Teddy Will’s brother? I enjoyed the movie until the confusing ending.

  3. Craig Engel says:

    While Lifetime movies generally aren’t for me either, I found this movie far more entertaining than you relate here. In fact, I thought was was actually better than most indie fare I’ve seen, and young actor Forrest Campbell was a revelation. There was a LOT to like with this movie, and while you thought the plot wasn’t up to par, I found it different enough from standard stories to make it far more interesting than any small town melodrama. And while this wasn’t a major studio release, this indie film has all of the requisite professionalism in it’s production to separate it from many far inferior indie releases.

    • Jason Delgado says:

      I’m glad that you enjoyed it! Film is subjective, and everyone has their own prism from which they see things. I can only be honest with how I feel. I don’t think that my viewpoint is the only viewpoint, so I’m glad whenever someone gains enjoyment from a film. And we agree that the production value is excellent for an indie.

  4. Maysville – DailyTips says:

    […] post Maysville first appeared on Film […]

    • Mary says:

      This movie is remarkable throughout. The story, as it unfolds, captures you. I don’t understand why you would give it a thumbs down at the end. I was real surprised. It’s a great movie.

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