The Absent Minded Professor

It’s true, I bought this DVD specifically because I am an Amber Benson fan. I enjoy the things she’s made (most especially her books….waiting anxiously for the third Calliope Reaper-Jones novel). I also appreciate things she’s said in interviews that I have watched (please stay tuned for my soon-to-be written article "How to be a fan without being creepy"). And I am of the school of thought that advocates buying into artists you like. Literally buying in. Put your money where your mouth is. If you’re fan, front up the cash and support your favorite folks. So, I did. And my DVD came in the mail today.

Here there be spoilers: Many spoilers ahead. You have been warned.

I have to admit to some skepticism as the movie began- it’s really hard not to when a movie opens with a rather raunchy sex scene under a desk. I also have to admit that as it progressed I became interested in the story-under-the-story.

The Recipe:
1 supremely dysfunctional family
1 affair
2 angsting youngsters
A Boatload of Cash
2 Robbers

Set up the family, affair, angsting youngsters, boatload of cash in a house. Throw in two robbers. Shake thoroughly until caricatures begin to appear in the mixture.

Here’s the thing about Lovers, Liars, and Lunatics: it’s clearly meant to be a bit of a lark (one of my favorite scenes: Christine Estabrook with a towel over her head, pounding on a window with a toilet bowl brush). People are supposed to laugh, and I did. There was a lot of down-and-dirty humor, which I’ll admit appeals to the thirteen-year-old boy in me.

It’s also a farce. No really, it’s caricatures of people, played well over the top, and while I have no idea if that was the intent, it’s what endeared the film to me. Everyone is a sort of over-the-top reflection of real things, so much so you almost don’t want to look at them…makes one uncomfortable to see those real roles in any family taken to such extremes. It reminds me of looking at a photo where the film has been over-exposed, and it makes things that are real appear fake.

I have some critiques (of course I do, it’s in my nature):

1. I would have liked to see Justine and Louis a little more "normal" (or as normal as you can be when you’re a pair of robbers) and then get sucked into this family-crazy-vortex that sort of causes them to get a little crazy too. I think connecting to them before they become the would-be villains would have leant more weight to the way in which they get sucked into this family’s issues.

I also have some loves:

1. Ryan Spahn (who plays Julian)- I’ve never seen him before, but he was phenomenal. I’ll be keeping an eye out for other things he’s in.
2. Experimentation: There are some lovely scenes experimenting with how the story is told (my favorite is the scene that revolves around a glass of water rather than the movements of a single character). Makes me happy to see things that challenge how a movie typically behaves, it’s why I like indie films.

All told, while it’s noticeable this is an effort by an amateur group on a low budget, that doesn’t stop them from making some really great film. A lot of great laughs, an occasional need to avert my eyes ("What’s this film rated again?"), and some scenes where I forgot completely that I was watching a film-full-o’-whimsy (it is actually heart-breaking when Julian is freaking out over Justine’s body) all left me with a slightly breathless confusion, unable to figure out if I was supposed to be amused, touched, or disturbed. I settled on all three at once. It was a new experience for me. And for that, I can’t say thanks enough to everyone who worked on it.

Note: I make no money off of this, but if you’re looking to find a copy of this film you can purchase them direct at The Lovers, Liars, and Lunatics Website

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 21st, 2010 at 8:12 pm and is filed under Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.