inkblot11 Review of Entry Level

Entry Level (2007)

A polished, vastly enjoyable movie, far better than some of the major Hollywood releases

[8/10 · 21 October 2010]

Clay (D.B. Sweeney) is a great chef and owner of a fine restaurant. Years before, when he was a co-owner of another eatery, his partner took all of the profits and fled the country. Now, his newer place goes under, too, for some major construction work occurs on the street in front of the building. Despondent, Clay also sees his girlfriend walk out the door, unhappy with his "funk". Declaring he has had it with the restaurant biz, the chef registers himself with an employment agency and begins a new search for a "management" position in the corporate world. Or, he admits, anything close. Soon, as Clay makes the rounds of office waiting rooms, he finds that he is often there with the same competing candidates. These include beautiful, ex-Peace Corps worker Liz (Missi Pyle), a displaced engineer named Bob and a host of others. All have their hopes of employment repeatedly dashed, especially Liz, who has been looking for another job for nearly a year. As they meet, Clay offers his gourmet sandwiches to his newfound friends and they all rave about his cooking talents. But, he insists, he is NOT going back to meal preparation. However, he does grow to like Liz very much and the feeling is mutual. But, will Clay and Liz find themselves competing for the same lucrative job, just the two of them? This is truly a fine example of an independent film that works beautifully. The script is funny, honest and totally enjoyable. For example, as Clay interviews with a head of human resources, the gentleman, Charlie (Taylor Negron) suddenly loses it himself and tells the CEO to take this job and shove it. Next week, Charlie's meeting everyone else in the job hunt! What fun! Also, the rest of the cast, including Kurtwood Smith (remember him as the frightening killer in Robocop?), is very nice indeed. The big city setting is lovely, the costumes are attractive and the film looks polished and very professional. In short, if the newest releases from Hollywood don't appear fetching this week, take a stroll to the DVD outlet of your choice and look for this one. It is vastly entertaining.