After viewing OK Garage, I had to check if there was a connection with the Seinfeld TV show. I don't see anyone connected with the show involved with this film. Yet you could really describe this as "the one where Elaine's mechanic rips her off." The setting is in NYC, there is a cast of goofy, flawed friends, odd characters on the sidelines. Together they roll towards a conclusion in the plot, while all along the way bizarre things keep happening that have nothing to do with that general direction. An odd neighbor luridly comments to Turturro's character about his new "girlfriend" and he vindictively makes up a bizarre story of cancer and purple lumps in her armpits to ward off further inquiry. The thing that makes this not a feature length Seinfeld episode is that someone gets brutally murdered. But you could say that Johnny (played by Turturro) is Seinfeld and Kramer wrapped up in one character. He tries to be dependable and stable, but has quirks with women, very much like Jerry S. The nutty Sean in a trench coat could be a really weird take on George. And then there is the quirky, sort of sexy lady in distress, just like Elaine. I think some reviewers don't like the fact that this is sort of a story about nothing. There is little character development for the main actors, and none for those on the fringe. For the mains, you hardly get to see where they work. There is almost a whimsical quality to the treatment given to those on the sidelines. But if you accept these as aspects that might have been intentional and not a result of poor film-making, I think you will find the movie to be very watchable. Almost like watching Jerry and Elaine develop their relationship, which happens in the back story to the show.
Review of O.K. Garage
