Running Funny (2006/Life Size Entertainment DVD)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: C Film: C
Comedy is
not easy to do and if you want to see how things can still go wrong with a
promising script and casting that has potential, look no further than Anthony
Grippa’s ironically titled Running Funny
(2006) about two best friends that move in together into a garage-as-apartment
as they graduate college. They then find
how hard and cold the “real world” is and have to “run” around trying to figure
out what to do next.
Besides a
real problem with lack of energy that sabotages any good joke and any chance of
believing this tale, you will also sometimes have trouble believing that they
are so clueless on what to do post-college at all! The wind-up is ruining too much of the latter
to make the comedy work and all implodes through sheer inexperience. This was based on a play, which might have
worked better on stage. The result is
that this version does not “run” very well or is very “funny”. Wake us up before you go-go!
The letterboxed
1.78 X 1 image is soft throughout as shot on analog video and though the image
can be consistent, there is nothing memorable about it except that it was not
botched. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
fares a bit better, again because they do not botch anything, but this
dialogue-based bit is sonically limited.
Extras include trailer, stills, amusing piece on playing Skeeball that
is actually anamorphically enhanced when the feature is not (!!!) and audio
commentary by Grippa and writer Charles Evered.
- Nicholas Sheffo
