Okies, here's the scoop. (no spoilers)
Basics: A guy need some extra money to take his dreamgirl out on a first date. Gets part-time job delivering pizza to earn it.
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First, the bad....
The bright-reds bleed a lot. Not so bad.
Ambient background noise is missing in almost all scenes. It's one of the first things I noticed, first time in the pizzaria towards the start. That kept me thinking about ambient noise through the rest of the flick... and it stood out.
I should qualify this with mentioning that I spent several years, in various capacities, setting up pizza-related franchises on the East Coast. The stark background I noticed probably can be skipped over by people who have never spent time in the back of a restaurant. My ears may be hyper-tuned to what is *should* sound like.
However, it's noticeable elsewhere throughout the movie.
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To the good stuff...
It's a really good movie. Heck, even the DVD itself looks good. (Wanted to order a pizza just looking at it!)
There are lots of bits that people can relate to.. be it the person delivering (or receiving) the pizzas. All of you have been in that place at one time, and can find where you (or your friends) are in this flick.
If you can't get into the pizza 'premise' of the flick, just substitute occupation roles. Love (and the need for validation) is not a theme strictly limited to the fast-food industry.
I'm fairly sure that someone involved in the making of this has spent more than their share of time delivering pies for a long period. It may be explained in the "Extra Toppings" selection on the DVD, but I have not looked there yet. I've seen almost every situation presented in this comedy in real life... and for the most part, it's fairly accurate. (Hey... life is comedy sometimes)
Forgetting some names here, will fix in morning...
"Hero"... very believeable character. Great actor. Has great crisis moments.
"Hero's friend"... Seemed to try to come across in a similar fashion to James Carey's "Cable Guy" character.
"Wendy"... just awesome. Personality for every stage of Hero's progress.
"Valerie"... Good, but could have more screen time worked in.
"Librarian Lady"... Holy cow, you are one sick puppy! She was fantastic!
"Alex"... Puts on a great act. Just wish he'd had the atmosphere in the background to make him shine.
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I'd read a review elsewhere saying how peeps will either love or hate the ending. The lead of the movie brings you to that personal decision, yes. Knowing that, I still found the end satisfying... and actually very well chosen.
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At $14 ($12 DVD, $2 ship... yes, I paid... impartial review) I'd call this a good buy. Sure, it doesn't look like "film" or have a dedicated CGI budget (although I'm going to scrub through minutes 43 - 45 for that damn squirrel on the fence)... it's just good comedy. More than that, it's a very interesting look at Hero's travel from imagined goal to self-realisation and awareness.
This could probably be marketed well in college-towns; especially the ones with regional franchises.
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One other thing I'm wondering about... there are a *lot* of references to big-name trademarked items in the dialogue. How easy was it to get permissions.... or is E&O covering it?
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8 of 10
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