Giant Steps

Stars: Billy Dee Williams (Return of the Jedi, Lady Sings the Blues, Batman), Michael Mahonen. The story of a young Canadian's musical apprenticeship under a jazz legend, Giant Steps might as easily have been called "The Trumpet Kid." Michael Mahonen stars as Arvo Leek, oddball teenage son of an immigrant alcoholic father. Leek's inspiration is the jazz legend Slate Thompson (Billy Dee Williams, who speaks in an incredibly slow and annoying gravely drawl--sort of like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland on 'ludes). In the rather well-tread story, Slate teaches Leek how to play jazz and, in doing so, finds new meaning in his own music. Having tended toward the mellow and accessible (i.e. sold out), Slate now starts playing true improvisational jazz (where any two given notes don't even live in the same city, let alone reside on the same scale), and jammin' into the wee hours of the night--which torques his lounge singing lady to the max. The one standout of Slate's jazz ensemble is his skinhead drummer Graham (Ted Dykstra), a weasely Neanderthal who offers advice to Leek--advice which is often couched in memorably crude terminology. A subplot involving Leek's longtime friendship with fellow student and kindred spirit Leslie (Robyn Stevan) adds a buddy angle to the story. Audience: Mature teens (if you'll pardon the oxymoron), and adults who like formulaic stories.