If some one managed to combine the best of Napoleon Dynamite with the best of A Mighty Wind, the result would be something like Reverb. Unfortuntately that result would also include the worst of karaoke. Reverb is a karaoke comedy following the lives of half a dozen "kroaker" friends who train and enter a national competition.
The film was presented as part of the Worldbridger Film Series in Nanaimo, BC. But not everyone was prepared for the heavy handed character farce filled with wild and funny moments and sometimes stereo-typical and embarrassing characters.
I nearly fell in love with some of the performances, particularly by Lizz Carter who played a 30 year old tween pop star and Brian Habicht, an ambiguously gay nerd with a nutty church wife who sings cheesy spiritual songs. These performances, combined with some decent writing, if there was a script for this, managed to infuse some depth and charm to a few of the characters, whereas others fell flat under mountains of clichés. Reverb is meant to be watched for the same reasons as Napoleon Dynamite, not for story or plot, but for the sheer fun of the characters.
Reverb was shot mockumentary style and is still considered to be under construction, or so I've heard. The filmmakers seem to want to take advantage of the tacky, karaoke music trend made popular by the American Idol generation. There were so many embarrassing pop culture references the movie should have opened with a disclaimer. However, apart from some unresolved story lines at the end and the god awful music, the many memorable performances make the experience fun and not as regrettable as it could have been.
The film was presented as part of the Worldbridger Film Series in Nanaimo, BC. But not everyone was prepared for the heavy handed character farce filled with wild and funny moments and sometimes stereo-typical and embarrassing characters.
I nearly fell in love with some of the performances, particularly by Lizz Carter who played a 30 year old tween pop star and Brian Habicht, an ambiguously gay nerd with a nutty church wife who sings cheesy spiritual songs. These performances, combined with some decent writing, if there was a script for this, managed to infuse some depth and charm to a few of the characters, whereas others fell flat under mountains of clichés. Reverb is meant to be watched for the same reasons as Napoleon Dynamite, not for story or plot, but for the sheer fun of the characters.
Reverb was shot mockumentary style and is still considered to be under construction, or so I've heard. The filmmakers seem to want to take advantage of the tacky, karaoke music trend made popular by the American Idol generation. There were so many embarrassing pop culture references the movie should have opened with a disclaimer. However, apart from some unresolved story lines at the end and the god awful music, the many memorable performances make the experience fun and not as regrettable as it could have been.