These Dead Batteries Have a Lot of Juice...
I
recently had the pleasure of watching one of
those "hidden gems" that pop up a handful of
times each year. These gems are the types of
films that may not have garnered what they
deserve from the publicity machine. They are
typically independent produced titles or foreign
art-house features that go unnoticed by the
masses.
"Four Dead Batteries" is a low-budget comedic
gem, shot on what feels like digital video, with
a cast whose faces you probably won't recognize,
but that generates more laughs than 95% of the
blockbuster comedies churned out by major
studios each year.
It is essentially a four-character film,
although there are a ton of great supporting
roles too. The four leads comprise the members
of a struggling improvised stand-up-comedy
quartet.
The fours guys are all approaching that dreaded
"middle-age" realization that their lives are
not quite what they'd envisioned. The girls in
their lives are either too plenty, too few or
too familiar.
It sounds like material more suited to Paul
Thomas Anderson or Neil LaBute, but first-time
writer/director Hiram Martinez is able to infuse
this film with so many hilarious scenes and
truly acerbic and witty dialog about the nature
of these relationships that you will find it
hard to stop giggling from credits to credits.
There are at least a half dozen scenes that had
me rolling. The most notable of which involves
the neurotic guy of the bunch commenting on a
series of looks shared between himself, his
girlfriend and a young stud who has him
flustered with jealousy.
The cast is very good, although noticeably
inexperienced with the subtlety of film in some
scenes. There are a few instances of overacting.
The film also attempts to cram in so much that
it occasionally stumbles into an unfunny line or
scene. But that is scant criticism in what
is essentially an indie-triumph. This is one of
the two or three funniest films of the year.
The girlfriend/wife roles are all filled with
delightful turns. The most notable of which
comes from Alison Becker who delivers a really
interesting character... perhaps the one
character who deserved more screen time than she
actually had. Becker is a star in the making.
The camera loves her.
The four leads are Patrick Dall'Occhio, Benjamin
Travers, Rob Webber & Dave Zubradt. Dall'Occhio
has similar qualities to Vince Vaughn. Rob
Webber may be the funniest of the bunch. His
character reminded me of Woody Allen's zaniest
roles. Webber and Zubradt both balance the film
with an everyman quality and each have their
moments of hilarity.
Overall, I could not have asked for more from
this film. The characters were believable and
sincere, and yet still had that successful
slapstick element that drove the film to its
heights.
"Four Dead Batteries" is not a film you are
likely to see playing on 3000 cinema screens...
You may not even find it on the top shelf of
your local DVD store. But you should make an
effort to seek it out of you enjoy relationship
comedy at its finest. This is a found gem.
©
Written by TC Candler
Richard
Propes' Comment
n/a
Jacob
Hall's Comment
n/a
