Many of us are familiar with the brilliance of Andrew McMahon. I, for one, am unsure I would have made it through my freshman year of college without Something Corporate’s Leaving Through the Window album. I can’t tell you the countless times I curled up on my bed during my first semester, missing my friends and family in Michigan as I tried to grow acclimated to my new life in Pittsburgh with “Cavanaugh Park” on repeat. I remember being in awe the first time I saw the band live at Duquesne University, McMahon’s piano drenched in a swirl of blue murals derived from the cover art from North. I have put songs from his first release with Jack’s Mannequin, Everything in Transit, on endless amounts of mix tapes and CDs. When I fell on hard times in Pittsburgh and decided to leave Steel Town for the West Coast, “Swim,” off of the band’s most recent album, The Glass Passenger, was one of the only things that kept me convinced that I’d be ok. Andrew McMahon’s work has always been touching and brilliant and sometimes entirely too adept at hitting you where it counts. 
Those of us familiar with his work had also already heard the heartbreaking and heartwarming story of his battle with Acute Lymphatic Leukemia. However, the documentary “Dear Jack” shows it to us in a much more intimate way. Having the fortune of seeing the screening of “Dear Jack” with Andrew’s family and friends, I could not feel more blessed that I got to share the event with the people closest to him. Walking into it, I was sure the film would be a tearjerker, and I wasn’t wrong. But at the end of it all, I realized something. This movie is not a sappy weep-fest. It’s a love story–in more ways than one.
From the very beginning, it’s easy to see that it’s a love story between a boy and his music. Throughout the entire length of McMahon’s battle with ALL, you almost wonder if the disease or the lack of being able to perform is causing him more pain.
It’s a love story between a boy and a girl. Early on, we’re introduced to Kelly, the young woman who would eventually become Mrs. Andrew McMahon. With her sugar-sweet smile and freckles, it’s easy to see why he fell for her. It’s also absolutely heart-wrenching to see journal excerpts declaring how much he misses her as the film details the havoc that touring, the illness, and various other factors wreaks on their relationship.
It’s a love story between a boy and his family. One of the most touching moments in the flick is seeing an incredibly frail and gaunt Andrew pour his heart out in a song written for his sister, “There, There Katie,” just before receiving a bone marrow transplant from her. He states that he was never incredibly close to his family at one point, but they are an ever-present feature in the movie, surrounding him with the love and hope he needs to get well.
Finally, it’s a love story for life. Much of the documentary consists of self-shot camcorder clips of Andrew in the hospital, waxing philosophical, shaving his head, losing his hair to chemotherapy, joking with his family, being with Kelly, and brushing his teeth. All of it a video scrapbook of wanting to remember life, just in case it was taken away from him.
I spoke with Andrew for a moment after the film. He told me it was his first time seeing “Dear Jack” with anyone else. “I felt incredibly exposed,” he says with a nervous smile, his arms folded in, hugging himself. But I guarantee he was also feeling incredibly loved afterward, surrounded by his family and friends (which apparently includes Pauly Shore, I might add), receiving a wealth of hugs, being told how beautiful his story was. I couldn’t agree more. “Dear Jack” is even more touching than anything McMahon has given us with Something Corporate or Jack’s Mannequin. It will easily evoke the desire to begin your own love affair with music, family, life and then some.
“Dear Jack” is now available. Purchase it at jacksmannequin.com.
Jack’s Mannequin: website | myspace | interview 2009 | @ kegs and eggs | @ midland theatre | @ sokol underground | interview with pt. 1 | interview with pt. 2
Like you, I also don’t think it would have been possible to be in the position I am without the influence of Andrew’s music. I have had the pleasure of meeting him several times, and every time he always welcomes me with a genuine smile and a warm hug. He truely is a great guy, and has blessed the world with his amazing talent. Dear Jack is the most heart-breaking, yet heart-warming documentary I have ever seen. Andrew is a gift from God, and if you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing him at a show, go out and see him. It’s definitely worth your time.