They say it’s a miracle whenever a film gets made. That one can come up with an idea, write a script, convince others that it’s a good idea, find the money to make it, find the crew and the cast (all who theoretical also think it’s a good idea) then make it through production and get said film to theaters or at the very least on DVD is certainly an amazing feat. So if it’s so hard to get a film made, why do so many of them suck?
Owen (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) and Ray (Chris Klein) are best friends and total losers. Owen works as a photo developer with a film degree and Ray is the drummer in a band and divorced with a kid. Owen is engaged to the beautiful Lynn (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) but manages to cheat on her in the first ten minutes of the film. They are miserable guys who lead miserable lives and there is really nothing to like about them.
Then Lynn happens to run into a friend she hasn’t seen in over a year who just happens to be friends with the girl Owen slept with. What are the odds? So they break up. Owen was going to take her to the festival his film got into, but now he brings Ray along. From there their depressing and pointless antics continue on lulling you to a coma of boredom.
Scenes that should be entertaining like Ray conning his way into the Four Seasons and ordering lots of food and not paying for it comes off as bland. Even the appearance Wallace Shawn as himself leaves something to be desired. It’s Inconceivable!
The film seems as if it’s supposed to be some deep thought provoking character study of these two losers, but they are so unlikable and uninteresting that there is really no reason to care about them or give them a second thought.
Without giving too much away, the end of the film pulls a very weak “two years later” turn after Owen and Ray have had a huge friendship ending fight. Now “two years later” they meet up randomly and time seems to have made things better. But again, you care so little for these characters that good or bad you don’t really care what happens to them. And the message of the film is forced down your throat so hard at the end that it makes you want to vomit.
So how did this little “miracle” happen? I can only guess that writer/director Frank Whaley who’s been an actor for years (remember Brett from Pulp Fiction?) knew enough people in the industry that he was able to pull it all together. When you think about how much work goes into the making of any film, it’s really sad when you see one turn out this poorly.
The film is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and Dolby 5.1 surround sound. The film looks fine I guess, but with a film this bad, who really cares about the picture and sound quality?
Commentary with writer/director Frank Whaley and actors Ben Schwartz, Alexander Chaplin and Heather Bucha: Hmmm a commentary with a bunch of actors yet neither of the stars? What’s up with that? Actually, beyond the lack of stars, this isn’t a bad commentary. It’s lively and offers a few interesting tidbits. Honestly, it’s actually more entertaining than the film itself.
Behind The Scenes: (14 min.) Typical behind the scenes stuff. We learn here that it was Prinze, Jr. signing on that really got things rolling for this film.
Bad acting, bad script, bad story, bad directing, this film really has nothing to offer in the way of entertainment, avoid at all costs. I signed up to cover this release on accident and man was that a mistake.
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Anchor Bay presents New York City Serenade. Directed and Written by Frank Whaley. Starring Freddie Prinze, Jr, Chris Klein and Jamie-Lynn Sigler. Running time: 103 minutes. Rated R for language and adult. Released on DVD: March 24, 2009. Available at Amazon.com.
