The Essence of Irwin (2005)

A big city ad agency sends an idealistic sociologist and his cameraman to tiny Irwin, Texas to collect "real, genuine" documentary footage of the town for a top secret new campaign. The ... See full summary »

Director:

Darren McDaniel

Stars:

Ben Affan, Jack Amos, Larry Anderson

Cast

Credited cast:
Ben Affan	...	Jose
Jack Amos	...	Rett Rhimes
Larry Anderson	...	Kenny Nubb
Katie Ball	...	Staci Maile
Mike Barnitt	...	Jim Anthony Rich
Jennifer Bascom	...	Real Estate Agent
Warren Black	...	Officer W.B Diggs
Kori Boan	...	Drawlina Godfrey
Amy Brackel	...	Heidi McDonough
Jan Brown	...	Jan Dunn
Steve Brown	...	Jake Dunn
Touchton Caruthers	...	Jimmy Fitzpaugh
Tony Copley	...	Billy Boyd
Bobbie Cross	...	Lisa "Hugabelle" Mendoza
Mike Dobbins	...	Enclave

Storyline

A big city ad agency sends an idealistic sociologist and his cameraman to tiny Irwin, Texas to collect "real, genuine" documentary footage of the town for a top secret new campaign. The crew unearths a goldmine, but when the corporate set ultimately unveils their final product, the miners get the shaft.

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Taglines:

The world gave them lemons. They made cookies.

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Genres:

Comedy

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User Reviews

somewhat sleepy movie about a sleepy town

Darren McDaniel's "The Essence of Irwin" plays very much like a mockumentary in the vein of the repertoire of Christopher Guest, as it follows a sociologist and his cameraman into the one horse town of Irwin, Texas. They are there to capture footage of the town for an advertising agency, and in so doing they encounter a steady stream of wild, crazy, and quirky characters. McDaniel's film-making is quite competent; however the real strength of this piece is with the characters and the writing. Characters the audience encounters, such as a woman who is a hellion behind the wheel of a golf cart and another woman who posts inspirational stickers in clear view throughout her house, lead the viewer to wonder how much of this stuff was staged and how much owes itself to the weirdos lurking in small town America (ala "Vernon, Florida"). Unfortunately, "The Essence of Irwin" plays out at an hour and forty minutes, and starts to feel tiresome halfway through when it began acting like a movie full of a wide array of fun characters in search of a story. This aimlessness really taxes the latter portion of the film, but nonetheless with so much wonderful detail and such no holds barred performances this little indie is worth a look.

Details

Official Sites:

Downright Swell Productions

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2005 (USA)

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Color:

Color