SCRANTON -- In Thursday's Video Vault, Newswatch 16 takes a look back at the premiere of Paul Sorvino's "The Trouble With Cali."
The film made it's debut in Arizona in 2012, years after filming began in Scranton.
Many naysayers predicted the movie would never be made, and Lackawanna County would never get any kind of return on its half million dollar investment.
But in 2010, Paul Sorvino promised the movie, "The Trouble With Cali," would eventually be made.
"If I have to scratch it out until my last dying day, this movie will get done," said Sorvino.
A full five years after filming started in Scranton, Sorvino was able to say, "I told you so."
Lackawanna County taxpayers financed nearly 40% of the film which debuted in 2012 at the Sedona Film Festival in Arizona.
"Film is historically a bad investment," said Jeff Boam.
Jeff Boam is an independent film maker, and movie critic for Electric City and Diamond City newspapers.
He said "The Trouble with Cali" needed to be a hit at the Sedona Film Festival for the county to even think about making back the half million it invested in Sorvino`s flick.
"It`s now seen as a movie that was fronted by taxpayer`s money and has become a laughing stock. That right there kills the momentum of the movie," said Boam at the time of the premiere.
Still Boam and other local filmmakers want the movie to succeed, and hope the first reviews of "The Trouble With Cali" are kind to Paul Sorvino, and his daughter Mira, who also has a role.
"Their names aren`t as sellable on the title any more. So it comes down to quality now," said Boam.
The one sure way Lackawanna County taxpayers would get their money back is if the movie makes it to theaters because some distributor thinks it has potential. Sorvino`s made the movie. Question is, will it sell tickets?
"It is a heck of a good movie. It will move you and people who have seen it in the rough state walk away with tears in their eyes and say, 'what a movie!'" said Sorvino in March of 2010.