What a charming, understated teen comedy this is. None of the jokes have to hit you over the head, they don't resort to bathroom humor, nudity, or sex gags, and yet, if you are like me, you will be smiling the entire time. Think about the premise: A nerdy dork from rural Idaho helps his ethnic friend win a high school election- no way, right? Way. Heder is on cruise control all the way through, and you really wonder how he is pulling this off. Likely, one of the most compelling characters to hit the screen in a long time, and you probably don't even know who the actor is. The interactions of the characters are surprisingly complex and rather unpredictable, which provides much of the charm of the film. It stays with you a while, and never even comes close to throwing up a CGI effect. If this is Indie, give me more. Get this movie if you don't already have it. It works on many levels.
Reviews
2 Reviews
Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Mork & Mindy
(2005 TV Movie)
well done docudrama
4 April 2005
For those fans of the original "Mork & Mindy" show in the 70's, this was a believable look into the early career of Robin Williams, now widely regarded as a comic genius and respected actor. The fact that it was "unauthorized" is probably meant to convey that no punches were pulled, and the dirty laundry gets aired. This was the case here as well. The producers took pains to recreate the characters from the show both physically with regard to personality. They go out of their way to put forth the fact that Williams almost became typecast for his Mork role, and the tedium and frustration that the part produced for him. After all, his fans knew he was something special when they saw him for 5 minutes on "Happy Days". His manic, rapid fire improvisational brilliance continues to amaze to this day, and yet, through this TV movie, we see how close he may have come to losing it all in the early 80's. My only qualm is that I have been unable to locate the credit for the actor who played John Belushi.
Tell Your Friends