I, Curmudgeon (2004)

Director:

Alan Zweig

Writer:

Alan Zweig (writer)

Genre:

Documentary

Cast

Andrew Currie	...	Himself
Mark Eitzel	...	Himself
Bruce La Bruce	...	Himself
Fran Lebowitz	...	Herself
Harvey Pekar	...	Himself
Andrew Rooney	...	Himself
Scott Thompson	...	Himself

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

A cheap documentary about being miserable.

Curmudgeon (say ker-mud-j'n) noun. An irritable or miserable old man.

A very simple documentary (I'd imagine the only money spent went to tapes stock and petrol) on the subject of being a curmudgeon. The film spends most of the time trying to answer the question: Are we like this because the world is so draining or are we just grumpy old men & women? The film interviews some well and not so well known cheerless souls, including Harvey Pekar of American Splendor fame, although he's not as energetic as some of the other people we meet. While there are a few other familiar faces, the film doesn't introduce, nor have any titles of the interviewees, so we'll never know who they are or what they do.

Intercut between the interviews is the director, Alan Zweig, who sits his handycam in front of the mirror and vomits misery onto us. He is engaging at first, with a plethora of complaints, ideas and other social commentary, but towards the second half of the film, these segments seemed to get longer and less interesting. It almost feels as though every time Mr Zweig has had an argument, he's raced home and recorded his side of it. Now we have to sit through it.

Several interviewees have fascinating things to say, but by the end, and I'm not sure if this is intended, most of their charm has worn off and they sound like...well, curmudgeons! The film does stay outside its welcome, but it is worth seeing, if you're in the mood and with the right company. Warning: Not a date movie.