Going into a Canadian comedy called Ham & Cheese at the Cinequest San Jose Festival, I was expecting little more than a barely amusing slapstick comedy, rife with clichés and derivative jokes. What I got was a heart-warming and touching story of two sad men with delusions of grandeur. Ham & Cheese as the tag line says, follows two actors, with one dream, and zero talent and this film was marvelous.
First time director, Warren P. Sonoda, (on a budget of about 2 dollars and a case of beer, I think he said) has put together, a great comedy. And there aren't a lot of great comedies. There are those comedies, that you go to and you have a good laugh at, such is the case with Old School. Will Farrell, dart in his neck=very funny. But when you leave the theatre you're not really left with much. But, then, every once and a while a special gem of comedy comes along like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, where you are effected so deeply, the characters and situations stay with you for days. Ham & Cheese is still with me, and I saw it over a week ago.
Sure the film has it's weaknesses. It's shot in that tired mockumentary format, the picture quality is often poor, and at times the sound is down right garbage, but you excuse all the technical difficulties, simply because of these two terrific characters. You love them, you hate them, you're with them every step of the way.
Despite all the weaknesses Sonoda keeps the film rolling. A quick pace, tight shots and excellent editing result in a beautifully executed movie that I hope will delight people as much as it did me.
First time director, Warren P. Sonoda, (on a budget of about 2 dollars and a case of beer, I think he said) has put together, a great comedy. And there aren't a lot of great comedies. There are those comedies, that you go to and you have a good laugh at, such is the case with Old School. Will Farrell, dart in his neck=very funny. But when you leave the theatre you're not really left with much. But, then, every once and a while a special gem of comedy comes along like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, where you are effected so deeply, the characters and situations stay with you for days. Ham & Cheese is still with me, and I saw it over a week ago.
Sure the film has it's weaknesses. It's shot in that tired mockumentary format, the picture quality is often poor, and at times the sound is down right garbage, but you excuse all the technical difficulties, simply because of these two terrific characters. You love them, you hate them, you're with them every step of the way.
Despite all the weaknesses Sonoda keeps the film rolling. A quick pace, tight shots and excellent editing result in a beautifully executed movie that I hope will delight people as much as it did me.