PHIL CAMPBELL – Brooklyn, N.Y., writer Phil Campbell, who has been in the news for months now promoting the “I’m With Phil” tornado relief campaign taking place this weekend in the town of Phil Campbell, was admittedly anxious before Thursday night’s screening of the Hollywood movie “Grassroots.”
The movie is based on the book Campbell wrote and had published in 2005 called “Zioncheck for President: A True Story of Idealism and Madness in American Politics,” and Campbell hadn’t even seen the rough cut that would be shown to the crowd gathered at the Bevill Center on Northwest-Shoals Community College’s Phil Campbell campus.
“I only saw four days of filming and I saw one scene that was true to the book and one scene that was complete fiction, so it’s pretty crazy that everyone will watch this with me for the first time,” Campbell told the crowd.
The screening of the movie starring Jason Biggs, Cedric the Entertainer and Colbie Smulders was used as a fundraiser for the Habitat for Humanity home all the Phil Campbells from all over the world are trying to help build in their adopted city.
“It’s very unusual for anyone in Hollywood to allow a rough screening of their movie to be shown, so this is a rare opportunity,” Campbell said.
The film based on Campbell’s book tells the mostly true story of how Campbell was fired from his journalism job and, to fill his time, he tried to help his friend, Grant Cogswell, win a seat on the Seattle City Council in 2001.
After the film, the movie’s director, Steven Gyllenhaal, was available via Skype to take questions from the audience and give some insight into why he jumped onboard to help the town of Phil Campbell by allowing the movie to be screened as a fundraiser.
“The interesting correlation is that this effort in Phil Campbell, Ala., is really a grassroots effort – neighbor to neighbor – of people helping out,” Gyllenhaal said. “Grassroots can really solve problems like the things we’ve seen in Phil Campbell.”
Several members of the Phil Campbell community expressed their thanks to Campbell and to Gyllenhaal for caring about their town.
“We enjoyed the movie and the town of Phil Campbell appreciates you having this fundraiser,” said Rita Barton, who has organized the Phil Campbell Hoedown also set for this weekend.
“Our hearts go out to Phil Campbell, Ala., and we’re there for you,” Gyllenhaal said. “We’re all neighbors in this situation.”
Campbell also discussed his reaction to the film and what it was like to see his story portrayed on the big screen.
“I came in kind of terrified of this screening because that was a really dark period in my life,” Campbell said. “I had gotten fired. I had always been identified as a journalist and I had that taken away. I had to fill my time with something so I threw myself into this campaign.”
Campbell said there were definitely changes between his book and the film, but he didn’t mind them so much.
“I enjoyed the movie in the end,” Campbell said. “It was fun, it was entertaining and it’ll do well.”
Gyllenhaal said that just as Campbell went through a dark time in his life and came out on the other side, he hoped Phil Campbell would be able to do the same.
“This city has gone through a dark time with these tornadoes, but my wish is that it will move on to better times,” he said. “We want to do everything we can to help and get this town back on their feet.”
Campbell expressed a similar sentiment of wanting to do all he could to help, which seems to go without saying after all the financial and media support he’s helped bring to the town.
“Back then, I wanted to be involved in that campaign because I felt like I was working toward the greater good and that we would make a difference,” Campbell said. “After the tornado hit Phil Campbell, Ala., I felt that same need to step up and do something for the greater good and that’s what we’re here to do.”