I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With (2007/Genius Entertainment)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C     Feature: C

 

 

One of the problems with film school and repetitious media is that it makes everyone who makes film and TV product think that reproducing the artificial and pop world is somehow the real world.  If you like talking about your favorite films and media in real life, don’t drag that to what you produce.  It is that mentality that makes star/writer/director Jeff Garlin’s I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With (2007) slowly and sadly implodes despite some good moments and intent.

 

He is living at home with his mother and not with a woman, then obsesses about Paddy Chayefsky’s classic Marty.  Unfortunately, when a new version is miraculously on the horizon, than the film becomes increasingly muddled and predictable, including a highly unlikely relationship with a love interest played by Sarah Silverman, who starts out playing an interesting character only to turn into… Sarah Silverman.  She can act, but gives up early here.

 

So does the already short 80 minutes, which becomes more like dialogue being read from a script than an actual film.  Bonnie Hunt, Amy Sedaris, Richard Kind, Joey Slotnick and even Paul Mazursky show up.  Too bad Mazursky did not give him many more pointers.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image has detail limits and color issues, as well as depth issues, while the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix does not have the best soundfield or use of the channels, so expect only so much form what is somewhat dialogue-driven.  Extras include a deleted scene and audio commentary by Garlin.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo