This is a fantastic movie. Frank Whaley, whom I love as an actor, wrote and directed this perfect little indie film and it is interesting and endearing from beginning to end. Chris Klein gives an amazing performance as the alcoholic best friend-bad influence, to a hapless lovelorn Freddie Prinz Jr. Theirs is a friendship based on nothing good and the fuse is lit. It's a familiar relationship. One of them takes everything seriously. The other takes nothing seriously. And both are prone to bad choices.
How the story is framed and delivered to the audience is what makes this film so special and that's where Frank Whaley comes in. He knows this story and knows how to tell it. Your heart can't help but go out to these two jerks bumbling their way through life and leaving a swath of misery and regret in their wake. Whaley chooses some interesting camera angles with the two leads. A couple times he has them in the frame, in two dimensional profile, in fairly serious scenes, delivering their lines in the, visually, flattest possible way. I didn't understand the choice, but I thought it was interesting, and it made an impression.
Frank Whaley has to be commended for a great script, deft directing, and a funny cameo as an overworked, and most likely underpaid, "limo" driver. However, Chris Klein steals the show as the drunk screwup with a huge personality. He has perfect pitch as an actor and it's on full display here.
I'm not sure why this movie flew so low under the radar. It's too good to have such a low rating here and deserves better. See it. You won't be sorry.
How the story is framed and delivered to the audience is what makes this film so special and that's where Frank Whaley comes in. He knows this story and knows how to tell it. Your heart can't help but go out to these two jerks bumbling their way through life and leaving a swath of misery and regret in their wake. Whaley chooses some interesting camera angles with the two leads. A couple times he has them in the frame, in two dimensional profile, in fairly serious scenes, delivering their lines in the, visually, flattest possible way. I didn't understand the choice, but I thought it was interesting, and it made an impression.
Frank Whaley has to be commended for a great script, deft directing, and a funny cameo as an overworked, and most likely underpaid, "limo" driver. However, Chris Klein steals the show as the drunk screwup with a huge personality. He has perfect pitch as an actor and it's on full display here.
I'm not sure why this movie flew so low under the radar. It's too good to have such a low rating here and deserves better. See it. You won't be sorry.