Google Me (2007)

Google Me (2007)
Writers: Jim Killeen and Jeannie Roshar
Release Date: 25 April 2008 (USA)
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 1:36:38


Google Me is a broad sweeping look at life from 7 perspectives. This documentary film contains touching stories of real life, set against an international background made up of Scotland, Ireland, Australia, New York, Denver, St. Louis and Los Angeles. Google Me is a richly exciting and satisfying ride.


Sometime actor, professional gambler Jim Killeen has scripted his début feature on a late-night search on his own name. With two dozen hits as a starting point, it seems that contacting his namesakes, offering to travel to their neck of the woods with a crew in hand to do an interview, will provide more material than he could possibly need. But in the early going, he and producer Jeannie Roshar are surprised at the number of rejections: seems that many JKs are not at all interested in having their 15 minutes of fame (and a mandatory DNA test to establish if there is an actual long-lost relative in his top ten list). But before you can say Its like talking to myself, Father Jim Killeen, ministering to his Irish flock for twenty-one years agrees (Hes coming here, so Ive nothing to lose.) and the name game is afoot.


Their time together is awash in beautiful shots of the church and the countryside and, as is the case in most of the segments, given a musical reinforcement (Geoff Levin, composer) that reinforces the setting. Yet the neophyte questioner lacks the killer instinct to knock down some closed doors in his on-camera chats (here, the global issue of sex abuse vanishes as quickly as its raised; later, just what did or did not happen at the swingers party remains a mystery). The cliché, What is mans purpose? seems too on the nose resulting in one embarrassed non answer and a series of stock replies that acknowledge the elephant (camera) in the room.


The journey of Jims winds its way through New York City (a retired cop on scene at the infamous 1990 Happy Land blaze: more, please), Denver (home to a tranny chaser), St. Louis (this Jim has spawned eight kids, is a highly paid executive and worships at the altar of Bush), Melbourne (the Aussie CEO of a large social services agency loves his beer and football don't miss the hometown teams song set to a melody stolen from Carmen) and Scotland (where the Jim du jour could easily pass as a brother and the required haggis taste and kilt fitting slip more into travelogue than inner-discovery mode).


Between trips, cash is raised at the casino and corporate Google comes aboard (don't mess with their name without asking) only to inspire the man-in-the-street Have you ever googled your name? fillers that add little to Killeens stated purpose: the goal is to connect.