Dumbstruck (2010)

At the annual Vent Haven Convention in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky, ventriloquism capital of the world, director Mark Goffman discovers five extraordinary characters straight out of a ... See full summary »

Director:

Mark Goffman

Stars:

Bob Ashman, Maria Ashman, Robert J. Ashman

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Bob Ashman	...	Himself
Maria Ashman	...	Herself
Robert J. Ashman	...	Himself
Willie Brown	...	Himself
Barry Burdette	...	Himself
Dylan Burdette	...	Himself
Jennifer Burdette	...	Herself
Aileen Carroll	...	Herself
Roger Carroll	...	Himself
Ed Casey	...	Himself
Meghan Casey	...	Herself (as Megan Casey)
Michelle Casey	...	Herself
Mark Anthony Ciarlante	...	Himself
Gary Cohen	...	Himself
Marlene Cohen	...	Herself

Storyline

At the annual Vent Haven Convention in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky, ventriloquism capital of the world, director Mark Goffman discovers five extraordinary characters straight out of a Christopher Guest mockumentary. But in this delightful, it's-all-true documentary, the characters are real, and so are the emotional attachments that they have with their "dummies."

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Plot Keywords:

ventriloquism | heart | 

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Taglines:

Say hello to my little friends.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief suggestive humor

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stupefiat

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$981, 17 April 2011, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$15,017, 5 June 2011

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Special Friend
written by Kathleen York and J.J. Blair
performed by Kathleen York
courtesy of Bird In The Hand Records

User Reviews

Pleasantly Surprised

This flick chronicles the lives of a group of puppeteers leading up to their attendance of a ventriloquist's convention in Kentucky. The event is barely mentioned throughout the course of the film, however, and when it arrives, it seems merely to have been tacked on as a footnote to the narrative. The only relevance of the convention to the rest of the movie is the impact impersonator/ventriloquist Terry Fator's sudden fame had on the world of ventriloquism and the hopefuls who inhabit it.

Without a high-stakes climax to converge on, the thrust of the film relies on the day-to-day grind and gradual reveals of the embattled souls who shoulder the burden of being ventriloquists. The five subjects have varying degrees of success, and suffer fallouts in one way or another from their family and social circles in pursuit of their careers. It becomes immediately clear that for these performers, it's an uphill fight for respect.

I was particularly engaged by the 13 year old boy's story, and his struggles to remain self-assured as his father's rejection of his hobby slowly chips away at his confidence.

I also came to appreciate how difficult it is to create the jokes, the act, and different voices of their characters while also being technically proficient in their dummy's manipulation.

Overall highly recommended, and deserving of a much higher rating than it's current one.