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Friday, June 22, 2007

Danny Deckchair - A Review

What would geeks like me do without IFC? Well, I could tell you, but if you don't have IFC, you already know (put some lotion on it and it will ease the burning!).

Probably the greatest thing about channels like this are nights like this: there's nothing on TV, it's far too hot to go outside and do anything, and I can't really afford to drink. Normally, I would be watching something I have on tape or DVD - something I've seen at least 34097429 times already - but for my damn near $80 a month, the least I can do is flip on the old indie movie channels and check out what's going down.

So tonight I turned on the ol' IFC and sat down to watch some Aussie flick about a guy who ties a bunch of helium balloons to his chair and floats away to an isolated hamlet, where he reinvents himself (or "finds" himself, if you're a damn hippy).

Danny Deckchair is smart, sweet, funny, and completely connected. The performances are sure-footed and subtly exceptional, the writing is sharp and involved, and the direction minds itself not to get too fancy and try to become the star. It is so well-grounded that you literally lose yourself in it before the first reel plays out! It's real without being gritty, funny without being camp, sweet and romantic without being candy-coated, uplifting without being preachy. It's a "slice-o-life"-type story that doesn't force itself to be mundane to reach a broader audience or manufacture cuteness to be sweet.

I really don't know what to say! Danny Deckchair is a straightforward, feel-good comedy on the level of a Forrest Gump or Parenthood. It has romance, drama, complications, betrayal, silliness, and just plain good times without having to reach too far or try too hard. Movies like Danny Deckchair make it all look so easy that you just feel like getting up and doing It - whatever It may be.

1 comment:

Manodogs said...

Speaking of IFC, they're showing Dante's Piranha tonight on their Grindhouse program.

It's not going to win any awards, but gamers especially should take note of the set-up and premise - very gamer-ey stuff!