For the past 23 years, Gordon J. Toering has built a career handling diverse legal issues, including business contracts, insolvency and bankruptcy matters.
| But for the past seven years, the Warner Norcross partner and his wife, Susan, have spent nights, weekends and other spare time helping to launch a film company and later becoming executive producers for their first film. Their hard work will come to fruition in a few days when their indie faith-based film, “Old Fashioned,” opens nationwide on approximately 200 screens this Valentine’s Day. | |
| "Old Fashioned" is an unexpected and love-affirming story about a former frat boy and a free-spirited woman who attempt the nearly impossible: an “old-fashioned” courtship in contemporary America. The film will go toe-to-toe with “Fifty Shades of Grey,” the sexually explicit movie that also opens on Feb. 14 and carries a decidedly different message. | Gord Toering (far right) on the set of "Old Fashioned," a faith-based indie love story that opens nationally on Valentine's Day after a special sneak peak in Grand Rapids on Feb. 6. |
The Toerings have been involved in the financial and creative sides of the film’s production, doing everything from consulting on script changes to helping to pull the financial aspects together to assisting in post-production.
“Between assisting in aspects involving promotion, distribution, contracts and overall strategy, it’s been very busy,” said Gord Toering, a business attorney who works in Warner’s Grand Rapids office. “But it’s been an incredible journey. We loved the storyline of ‘Old Fashioned’ and the possibility of making a beautiful film about modern love that could impact peoples’ lives.
“Our dreams were realized when we saw the final film – not only is it visually stunning, but it also presents grace and love in a compelling way that speaks to people no matter where they are in life.”
While production was completed on “Old Fashioned” in late 2013, the Toerings and writer-director-lead actor Rik Swartzwelder decided to postpone the film’s national release to compete with “Fifty Shades” and present an alternative message about courting, relationships and love.
“Old Fashioned” is the first project for the Toerings and Swartzwelder under Skoche Films, which they launched in 2007.
“Skoche” means a little bit, and their desire is to make films that move people just a little bit. The trio has additional projects already in the works.
The film has many West Michigan connections. Gord Toering is an alumnus of Calvin College and the University of Michigan, while Sue Toering graduated from Hope College.
A Calvin alumni publication noted that “Time, Variety, Yahoo Movies and the International Business Times have covered the ‘David and Goliath’ story of an independent film opening on the same weekend as a big-budget national movie – and with decidedly different themes.”
Additionally, the soundtrack features music from two Calvin alumni, Ralston Bowles and Karisa Wilson. Another Calvin grad, Rachel Dik, serves as an executive producer.
The theatrical trailer is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p0ozDjAQco. A second trailer takes on “Fifty Shades” with the tagline, “This Valentine’s Day, chivalry makes a comeback”: http://www.oldfashionedmovie.com/.
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