Customer Reviews

Flakes

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Think of the film `Flakes' (`07) as an undated, more hip version of the now defunct but still popular, long running television series `Cheers' only with a vast and varied cereal menu rather than alcoholic beverages. Join store manager Neil Downs (Aaron Stanford) girlfriend Pussy Katz (Zooey Deschanel), owner Willie (Christopher Lloyd) and a zany group of New Orleans residents as they gather daily for a bowl of their favorite cereal.

The shop is but a launching pad for a pithy, intelligent, romantic comedy, coming of age storyline that I enjoyed immensely. `Flakes' only shortcoming is the finish. Which isn't necessarily bad, but I just don't think it quite lives up to what preceded it.

This one will stand up well to repeat viewings, which ultimately is the supreme test for any film. Enjoy!

"Zooey Deschnel CAN do no wrong", touts the DVD jewel book. He's right, she's always delightful and is great in this rock-bottom bugeted film. The lead who is a manager in a cereal resturant (eh, any "Mr. Wonderful's Surprise"? my favorite long defunct cereal from the 1970's) is very good as well. Chris LLoyd is very good as an aging hippie who owns "FLAKES".
A neo-yuppie opens a competitive carbon-copy store across the New Orleans street and the drama ensues. Well-written, quirky and funny movie. Highly recommended.

Indie films are always a bit of a throw of the dice. Some are amazing, many are so - so and many fall flat on their faces and leave you wondering what the film maker was thinking. I own a copy of this film and it comes close to the amazing mark. In any case it is good. Above all, the actingwas first class. This is not a perfect movie but it is very well done.

"High Fidelity" meets "Clerks" over a bowl of cereal in this fun little film that rises above its humble subject. I just love the outlandish central conceit of a vintage cereal restaurant, in which the cereal becomes a metaphor for our youthful, untarnished, and yet dysfunctional selves. With a witty, intelligent screenplay and a seriously good cast, it starts out incredibly strong and as quirky as they come (in a good way). I only gave four stars because for me the second half of the film lost its unique flavor and became more of a cliche, but I still think it rocks.

What a fun movie! It is especially fun for New Orleans locals, like me, who are familiar with Frenchmen Street where it was filmed. Even iconic local, Amzie Adams of "All Amzie All the Time" art gallery on Royal St. in the French Quarter (the guy in the white beard and black hat for non-locals), artist and musician, makes appearances in this little gem and in the trailer and out-takes. Frenchmen street is the home of the two top rated jazz clubs for 2008 in New Orleans, but it is fun to see the "Faubourg Marigny Book Store" and the former dance club "Brazil Cafe" redone and used as cereal bars. What really surprised me is that the plot was interesting as well.

I dunno, I just really liked this movie. Thought the characters were unusual, the premise was unique, the script was clever. The actors did a great job, loved the location and set design. This film made me smile. I would watch this again. I liked these people, and how they seemed to care about each other. That made it real, and you can't say that about some movies. Nothing stilted about this movie, it was like evesdropping on this little world. Made me realize why I love Indie movies so much. It does not take billions of dollars to make a good film. FLAKES is proof of that.

Flakes tells the tale of adorable, aspiring musician Neal Downs(Aaron Stanford) who thoroughly enjoys his side job of working as a 'bartender' at Flakes, a hipster's paradise and completely off-the-wall cereal bar. With his beautiful and just as eccentric girlfriend Miss Pussy Katz(Zooey Deschanel) his intermediate life seems to be treating him quite well. Only Pussy Katz doesn't seem to agree, and wants more from both their relationship and Neal himself!

What happens when a budding capitalist comes to town and opens his own brand of Flakes just across the street? Chaos ensues!

Flakes is a great light, comedic indie gem, that hits the head on the nail so completely it's almost hard to believe. I can just imagine driving over to Silverlake or Echo Park and walking into any of those bohemian, artistic eateries to see exact copies of these fictional characters. This film captures the feelings and actions of how so many of us young grown-ups do in these modern times; dreaming for more, too lazy to change anything, unsure of our own decisions yet so unwilling to change for even those we love.

This film is quirky, fun, and is still completely and utterly poignant.

The premise was interesting and the actors did a respectable job but they were given such poor dialog. When a screen writer resorts to constant use of the F word and obscenities to "punch up" the scene you know that there is a limited to the writer's skills. Too bad this was the case in this movie. I, like others who reviewed this movie, thought that the last half was not as interesting as the first half; I honestly could not wait to get it over. I was glad I only spent a total of $2.99 from Amazon for this movie; 1 cent for the movie and $2.98 for shipping.

By the way the "Not Rated" listing should be an "R Rating". The language was too rough for a PG rating.

**1/2

According to financial records released by the studio, Michael Lehmann`s "Flakes" raked in all of $778 in box office revenue when it was released in late 2007. And although one hates to kick a well-intentioned, low budget film when it's down, the truth is that "Flakes" is a cute idea that doesn't really amount to all that much in the long run. In fact, the film is so benign and innocuous that it seems to be evaporating even as you're watching it.

Neal Downs (Aaron Stanford) is a struggling musician who works as manager of a little New Orleans eatery called Flakes (owned by Christopher Lloyd) that serves nothing but cold cereal to its loyal clientele. When a rival franchise opens up across the street, Neal's girlfriend, the self-named Pussy Katz (Zooey Deschanel), applies for a job at the new establishment as a means of getting back at Neal for refusing to hire her at his own place.

The pro-capitalist vs. anti-capitalist theme that runs through the storyline is halfhearted and underdeveloped at best. Moreover, while the cast is engaging and appealing (especially Deschanel), the undernourished Chris Poche/Karey Kirkpatrick screenplay doesn't give the actors a whole lot of solid material to work with. And even the relatively fresh and novel New Orleans setting isn't exploited as much as it could be for its old-world atmosphere and charm.

This movie gets better and better every time I watch it. They talk cereal like record collectors. The dialog and plot are simple, comedic and amazing. Be prepared for awesome cereal ideas too. Soul Power cereal will blow you away! Fans of Empire Records take note.