Zen and the Art of Landscaping (2001)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

David Kartch

Writer:

David Kartch (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Short

Plot:

All manner of family secrets are out when the lawnmower man is invited inside one fateful day.

Plot Keywords:

Infidelity | Lawman | Coming Out | Marital Crisis | Revenge

Awards:

6 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Greg Haberny	...	Greg 'Zen' Daniels
Kathleen Garrett	...	Jean Baxter
Jacob Pitts	...	Andy Baxter
Mark Blum	...	Richard Baxter

Runtime:

17 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | DTS-Stereo

Company:

Columbia University, New York

Enjoyable if a little thin

Zen is cutting the grass of a local family when the mother of the house comes home. She entices him inside and begins to seduce him in order to be "surprised' by her husband in order to bring a fight to the surface. However they are surprised by her son, who Zen used to bully at school, and then her husband. As the fight over secrets starts, many secrets and infidelities are exposed for all.

This short trades on a cool and quirky name that catches the eye. It then starts well with a story that you're not sure where it's going, but explains itself easily. After understanding why Jean is using Zen it then becomes more of a comedy as the unlikely secrets spin out of control. It may not be as good as the start suggests but it is still quite funny.

The cast are good and do well even when the comedy gets tired and stretched. The director also works well and makes the most of the material. It's pretty enjoyable – for reasons that differ throughout the running time and, despite the joke running thin by the end, it's is actually pretty good.