[A series of daily updates on screenings at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. For fast reactions and more follow Metromix's Geoff Berkshire on Twitter.]
Comedies are a tricky thing at Sundance. Films that play big to a festival audience are just as likely to bomb on wider release (“Hamlet 2,” “Happy, Texas”) as they are to become breakout hits (“Little Miss Sunshine,” “Napoleon Dynamite”).
The next film to face the challenge is “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil,” a broad genre mash-up that turns horror conventions into a comedy of misunderstandings. With the support of the right studio this could prove to be a surprise success à la “Zombieland.”
The film follows a group of college kids (including Katrina Bowden of “30 Rock”) driving through the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia where they cross paths with Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine), two sweet-natured hillbillies the kids mistake for bloodthirsty maniacs. It doesn’t help the hillbillies’ case when people start dying. Tudyk and Labine are both at ease and likable in their roles, keeping the film from overindulging in stereotypes. Besides, the clear message is you can’t always trust your preconceived notions.
Despite its crowd-pleasing nature, “Tucker & Dale” is a little too broad and one-note for my taste, but I appreciated its easygoing humor, inspired tweaking of the horror genre and polished direction from first time filmmaker Eli Craig (a one-time actor and the son of Sally Field).
Personally, I’d opt for more comedies like “The Freebie.” The atypical relationship story stars Dax Shepard and Katie Aselton (who also writes and directs) as a young married couple who have settled into a comfortable routine. It’s so comfortable that they haven’t had sex for months and don’t even realize it, until a dinner party conversation forces them to confront the truth. In an effort to spice up their relationship they mutually agree to allow each other a single one night stand with someone else, no questions asked. But can they follow through?
In addition to an insightful portrait of relationships, “The Freebie” has a terrific natural rhythm. It’s firmly in the low-tech improv-driven mumblecore genre, which probably means a low commercial profile, but it’s smart, focused and well acted enough to merit wider exposure. What’s more mysterious than someone else’s relationship? “The Freebie” offers you a look inside.
Also offering an inside look, whether you asked for it or not, is the documentary profile “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.” The movie admits early on that Rivers has a reputation as a “plastic surgery freak who’s past due,” but filmmakers Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg (whose previous work includes the more serious “The Devil Came on Horseback” and “The Trials of Darryl Hunt”) create a sympathetic and complete portrait of one of the hardest working people in showbiz.
Rivers shares stories about her rift with Johnny Carson, her husband’s suicide and her neverending fear that her career will be over tomorrow. The film charts the rise and fall of a play she’s written, her stint on “Celebrity Apprentice” and her stand-up act, still edgy and hilarious at the age of 75. If you only know Rivers as an obnoxious red carpet personality or a shameless TV pitchwoman, you don’t really know Joan. Simply by spending time with her, Stern and Sundberg reveal multiple dimensions to a comedian who became a punchline. “A Piece of Work” may not make you like Rivers, but you’d be foolish not to respect her.
Back on the dramatic side of things, Sundance wouldn’t be Sundance without at least one fiction film involving the Iraq war. This year it’s “The Dry Land,” which tackles the subject of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among soldiers. First time filmmaker Ryan Piers Williams has assembled a strong cast—America Ferrera (who also happens to be Williams’ girlfriend), Melissa Leo, Jason Ritter and, uh, Wilmer Valderrama have key roles—but the lead is Ryan O’Nan, an actor with a few minor TV credits.
Despite good intentions and a clear commitment to keeping things real, “Dry Land” is a shrug-inducing small-scale indie. After “Brothers,” “The Lucky Ones” and “Stop-Loss” (to name a few), the PTSD subject matter already feels worked over and Williams doesn’t find a new or memorable approach to take it to another level.
Read the report from day six of the 2010 Sundance film festival.
Check out the full collection of 2010 Sundance film festival diaries.
