Premise:
When a lighthearted office prank goes a little pear shaped, Ed is left to pick up the pieces and try to save not only his job but his dignity.
Review:
Director Antonio Oreña-Barlin brings huge laughs in this office-based comedy. Adam Dunn plays dutiful but apprehensive employee Ed, whose submissive personality constantly allows his more dominant colleagues (primarily the irrepressible Anthony Gee) to railroad him into trouble. Dunn does a fantastic job of playing a passive social victim who is dying to tell Anthony Gee’s Jack where to get off. His repressed anger unfortunately manifests itself in entirely the wrong place, leading to a huge (and hysterically funny) mistake.
Although the screenplay (co-written by Dunn and Thomas Mitchell) brilliantly chronicles Ed’s journey to get himself out of a potentially career-ending jam, Dunn’s physical comedy is what carries the comedy. His unique method of conveying silent disbelief and physical dread gives a style to the film that does not allow you to catch a single laughter-stolen breath. Oreña-Barlin’s pacing lends itself well to the comic timing of Dunn and the rest of the cast. Indeed, in the latter part of the film as Ed’s troubles seem to be reaching fever pitch, Oreña-Barlin does a fantastic job of drawing out events and ramping up the tension, leading to some well-earned literal comic relief.
Given the natural comic abilities of the cast and the frankly hilarious script, it could have been very tempting for a director to allow those elements to carry the movie, but to Oreña-Barlin’s credit, he puts a very visual stamp on the film, particularly in a moment of realisation by Ed as it dawns on him how much trouble he is in. Ultimately this is a story about the little guy struggling not to be ignored or dismissed by his more successful counterparts and Dunn, both as co-writer and actor, does a fine job of driving that point home without making his character too much of a victim.
There is a good character basis that props up a nightmarish sequence of events for Ed and within that the potential for some great comedy is realised. This is a great watch and guaranteed to leave you laughing.
Studio: Antonio Oreña-Barlin | Year: 2016 | Genre: Comedy | Duration: 7 mins | Suitability: Mature
Cast:
Adam Dunn, Anthony Gee, Isaro Kayitesi
Crew:
Director: Antonio Oreña-Barlin | Producer: Adam Dunn, Monica Hyde | Writer: Adam Dunn, Thomas Mitchell