Jill Jaress- The Funny Lady is Someone To Love

Cover photo-the incomparable Jill Jaress. Inside photo-Jill Jaress, pictured with Timothy Bottoms from her film "The One-Nighter."

By Buddy Sampson

I met Jill Jaress  when I was covering the Cinema City International Film Festival.

Her short, “Someone to Love”, was in competition.  I loved her right away- she was a warm, unpretentious lady  — not anything like the slick “Hollywood players” I’m used to interviewing.  I saw “Someone to Love”.  It was terrific — funny and real.

Two years later she invited me to a screening of  “The One-Nighter”, a feature that she wrote, produced, directed and stars in with Golden Globe nominee, Timothy Bottoms.  It was both unique and hilarious.  The characters were heartwarming, their motives were real and so the situations, no matter how far- fetched, seemed very believable.  Bottoms and Jaress are brilliant together.

I wasn’t surprised when she called and told me “The One-Nighter” had won “Best Romantic Comedy Feature” in the IFQ Film Festival and eight laurels in other film festivals.

Jaress is like “The Little Engine That Could” — and she did it brilliantly.  And if you have the opportunity to know this incredibly funny lady, you’ll know immediately that she is “Someone to Love.”  You can see the trailer at www.theonenightermovie.com.

Timothy Bottoms.