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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A couple laughs, but more of a serious film, June 20, 2009
This was being advertised heavily and trailered as an outrageous comedy, which admittedly the first act has a few great lines and moments, but it quickly devolves into a serous take on alcoholism and life changes.
The lead womanizing, alcoholic, ranting character was played well by Michael Leydon Campbell, and from what I have seen before this is his breakout role. He manages to fit five different personalities into this story and has all of the screen time, even though he is not given listing on the front cover. The supporting cast has a slew of recognizable faces, including Stephen Root, Grace Zabriskie (much better seen in the Big Love series), Eddie Jemsion (Ocean's trilogy) and Rachael Leigh Cook as the absent love interest.
The segmented story follows him as he devolves into an alcoholic mess, all while losing his job, "friends", motivation and easy one night stands from his main bar. Once the second and third acts materialize the few laughs go away, and a serious recovery tone takes over. The only other funny line later in the movie is from Grace's character with that "I am an island in the middle of Crazy River".
The movie drags in quite a few areas, Campbell's rants get irritating, but his life lessons learned make for a somewhat redeeming quality as far as a message film goes.
Aside from a couple plant reviews here, cover art that has nothing to do with the film (the large picture on the back never happens, planted quotes including..."RLC's best since She's All That" - hardly, "RLC shines as the heroine.." - not even close, she trips into the last scene to try and redeem the absent love story), no special features and average picture and sound, makes this an overall non-recommendation. But maybe some of the spot supporting performances will make this a decent rental for their fans.
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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
funniest movie about alcoholism ever., June 6, 2009
This movie is truly a laugh/cry experience. Michael Leydon Campbell's performance is revelatory. I saw him in Sidewalks of New York, playing two completely different characters and knew he was an extremely talented actor then. So when I saw he was the lead in this movie, I had to go. He surpassed all my expectations of a troubled leading man character.
The supporting cast is charming and funny/touching. The direction is fresh, funny, sharp and smart. And the scenes in the therapist's office are hilarious for anyone who's ever been there!
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2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A really good film!, April 14, 2009
If you are lucky enough to live within driving distance of one of the major cities (New York, LA, Portland, Chicago, Dallas) that are lucky enough to be part of the limited theatrical release of this film, GO SEE IT. If you are not so lucky, pre-order it here from Amazon or queue it on your NetFlix. You won't be disappointed. This is the kind of film that filmmaking should be about. There are no snakes on a plane or improbable romances set aboard sinking historical vessels, but there are characters and situations that you will recognize. For me, that's good writing: when there is something in a character that I personally respond to - I have felt "that way," "been there, done that," etc. This film is chock-full of those relatable moments, and they come, unexpectedly at times, from every single character. The title character, Bob Funk (Michael Leydon Campbell, reprising his stage role), is pretty unlikeable from the get-go - he's an angry functional drunk, a masher (for you young folk: he hits on pretty females, especially in his favorite bar from whence he acquires his one-night stands), a condescending screw-up at work (the family owned Funk Foam and Futon; wherein his arrogance, demise, humiliation, and recovery are primarily set). We know immediately that the only way this man stays employed is because his mother, superbly played by Grace Zabriske, owns the company. Without giving away the story, I can tell you that Bob gets fired by his own mother - a tag line that is funny by itself - and spends the rest of the film truly hitting bottom and crawling back upward into life. The rest of the characters act as supports, catalysts, and sounding boards for Bob's journey (as does all of the technical stuff that goes into filmmaking: sets, sound, music, cinematography, costumes - all are excellent). There's Bob's tough and skeptical mother, whose own issues with Bob are not revealed until close to the end of the film. There's Bob's younger brother Ron (the always excellent Eddie Jemison), who is the opposite of Bob in many ways: married, quite, hard-working, polite, yet fearful and frustrated (sexually and otherwise). There's the beautiful but accident-prone Ms. Thorne (hired by Bob's mother to replace him) around whom much of Bob's longings eventually swirl; played by Rachael Leigh Cook, Ms. Thorne is a role that allows us to see this actress as a grown-up rather than a juvenile. These four characters are the original ones from the original four-character play; Carlisle successfully expands his play to include minor characters that add much to the film version. Steven Root is an ever-positive employee at Funk Foam and Futon, whose dreams of being a stage actor provide some great comedy in the film (don't miss the homage to all of those unsung people who just plain love "the theater" as the credits roll!). Bob's therapist (Terri Mann) and his bartender (Ron Canada) are more than the stereotypical fonts of wisdom you might expect. Two other Funk employees, Alex Désert (you'll recognize "Jake" from the TV show Becker) and Nadia Dajani, are spot-on Greek-chorus Funk co-workers - you know them, you've met them in your own life. (Alex Désert provides one of the funniest scene-to-scene continuities in the film - I like my workspace a certain way; I know I will never look at a tube of Super Glue in the same way again!). There are so many "gem moments" in this film; again, I credit the writing and directing, and of course hats off to a truly wonderful cast. Every character is believable. Every character rings true. Two more examples: Amy Ryan as a withering female "opponent" in Bob's favorite bar and Sonja Rokes as a jaded yet cheerleading coffee waitress - the main characters are the story, but the other characters in the film propel the story in various hilarious, sad, angry, and heartwarming thrusts. So, see this film! "You'll laugh, you'll cry," and you will laugh again! It is, in the end, a well-constructed film with GREAT actors in it, and ultimately that's what makes Bob Funk a really good movie. (My apologies to any persons involved in the film if I got your names or parts wrong or did not specifically mention you: you all have my five stars!)
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