The Audience Strikes Back (2008) (V)

Director:

Patrick Beacham

Writer:

Patrick Beacham (written by)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Amazing the things strangers will say over a cuppa joe . . .

Plot:

"The Audience Strikes Back" is the story of eight very different people who are brought together for...

Plot Keywords:

Star Wars | Iraq | Christian Fundamentalism | Dark Comedy | Homosexual Marriage

Cast

Mark Boeker	...	Don
Carol DeSalles	...	Celine
Gorneth D'Oyley	...	Andre
Dan Heinrich	...	Lloyd
Andy McCone	...	Herb
Brittany Quist	...	Barista
Danielle Reierson	...	Caroline
Michael Smith	...	Bill
Sam Suver	...	Jake

Also Known As:

My Dinner with Darth Cheney (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

USA:111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Company:

Thorco Films

Trivia:

Although in the end TASB did have a written script, the original idea was for the movie to be completely improvised, somewhat after the manner of Christopher's Guest's movies (This is Spinal Tap; Best in Show; For Your Consideration), and in fact, a significant portion of the dialogue is derived from the actors' improvs during rehearsals.

Quotes:

Herb: But there is something else, Bill, and that's Satan, because Satan does in fact exist. People often forget this, but God created Satan, and like all things that God creates, Satan has a purpose. Satan's purpose is so that there can be good and evil in the world, which are necessary to the existence of free will. And sometimes, in testing mankind, God allows Satan to win. He allows Satan to win by giving us the power to choose evil, instead of good, when we are tempted by Satan.

Good film worth viewing

I'm not sure what the previous reviewer was expecting but I can't think of anything more boring than 90 minutes of Star Wars - and nothing else. What I liked about the film was the way it took the themes from Star Wars and used them to address all the critical issues of the day that divide us as a nation. I thought the fundamentalist character was well acted and scripted and was treated very fairly. it reminded me - in a good way - of the way "12 Angry Men" addressed the social issues of it's day.

I do think the acting was uneven, but the script was original and thoughtful and the treatment was interesting. This was all done on a tiny independent (really independent) budget with a first time director. So maybe my expectations were lower, but I was impressed with the final balance achieved between entertainment and social commentary.

In these days where movies endlessly rehash the same things, remakes, Lethal Weapon 16, and other "sure-fire" titles, it's refreshing to see a film that provides one person's unique view of what has been creating this red state/blue state nightmare of the past 8 years. I'd love to see what this creative team could do with a bigger budget and some marketing power behind them.