Many moviegoers have claimed that the only shining light in the consistently dumb modern comedy scene is Judd Apatow and the people involved in his productions. In "Kabluey", however, we have an argument that there's still plenty of great comedy out there - you just need to go looking for it. It's underneath that pile of "You Don't Mess with the Zohan"s and "The Love Guru"s. While "Kabluey" isn't readily accessible to a mainstream public due to some unfamiliar faces and it's low budget, this is certainly one I wouldn't suggest passing up. I wasn't expecting a whole lot when I sat down to watch this film, and it was an extraordinarily welcome surprise.
Leslie (Lisa Kudrow) is an overstressed mother whose husband is a National Guardsman in Iraq. She has just found out that her husband's tour has extended, and her children are proving to be more and more difficult to manage. Enter Salman (Scott Prendergast, also the writer/director of the film), her bumbling idiot of a brother-in-law. He's the same type of guy you see in a lot of these movies - he's completely incompetent and in over his head around kids. Mentally, he seems to be only a step above one of Will Ferrell's endless array of man-childs.
In return for letting Salman stay at her house, Leslie expects Salman to get a job to help support her kids. She works for an internet company in Texas called BlueNeXion, who certainly seem to have seen better days. Salman arrives at a mostly vacant building and some very eerie dark and quiet rooms. He's offered a job that requires him to stand in a blue foam-rubber suit on the side of the highway and hand out fliers to the people who drive by. Although the salary is only $6 an hour, Salman accepts the job and learns to cope with it - all the while trying to survive through the constant torment placed on him by his sister-in-laws children.
Kabluey, the costume and mascot of BlueNeXion, is an extraordinarily effective design. It's large head and lack of fingers make the wearer completely useless and incapable of completing the simplest of tasks. Standing alone in a neverending cornfield, Kabluey comes to represent the ultimate alienation. Ironically enough, however, it's the suit that allows Salman to break out of his shell and learn to enjoy life.
A film about a man who stands on the side of the highway is certainly minimalistic and could come off as absolutely pretentious, but it's actually rather endearing. There's something so sweet about Prendergast's performance although he's nothing more than a buffoon. The concept of the suit itself was also something very new to film and it's a perfect compliment to the subject matter. These surreal moments of Kabluey standing alone in a field are really what makes the film so enjoyable - the only problems arise is when things take a turn for the soap opera direction.
In the suit, Salman learns secrets about many of the people he encounters - including the fact that Leslie is cheating on his brother with her boss. Teaming up with a woman who stands in a cheese costume, the two sort of pair up to become a superhero-esque team. This is very cute in concept, but unfortunately it's execution was laughable and I did little more than roll my eyes. The drama was so unnatural and especially out of place in a film like this, and things really fell apart by the time the credits rolled. The movie became less about a man overcoming his anxiety and stepping out into the world and more about a "he's sleeping with her, but she's sleeping with him..." soap opera-level godawful mess.
Another thing I found interesting about the film was that although the character of Leslie's husband is in Iraq and therefore away from his families, there's no obvious political agenda that's forced down our throats. It's not about the struggles of a family with their husband and war as much as it is about people coming together when they're in dire need of help. I enjoyed that the film didn't try to bite off more than it could chew with nonsensical political rants or overbearing forced melodrama.
"Kabluey" really falls apart near the end, but the experience as a whole is a very enjoyable one. This is a fresh, innovative, and smart comedy that was one of the more unique films i've seen this year. I'd certainly give it a mild recommendation.
Something about this movie really attracts me. The subtle accuracy of it. How people just say or do anything around Kabluey, as if he's invisible (or just not important enough). And it's just plain hilarious at parts too.
Not impressed. Bummer. Scott Prendergast put some hard work into this writting, directing and staring in it. And he did a pretty good job. But it just did not hit a cord with me. Lisa Kudrow and cast were okay. I would say that the nephews did the best job next to Scott. It had a few good moments but I just did not care enough about the story. My wife liked it!
An indie dramedy that, for all its undeniable quirks, remains grounded in a greater sense of humanity, thanks in no small part to Lisa Kudrow's supporting performance.
MCT:October 4, 2008
MCT:October 3, 2008
MCT:September 14, 2008
