Review By: Lucy Cruell
Narrative, 2008
Director: Brian Hecker
USA/ English
80 minutes
"The best moments in life just happen."
This closing night treat was without a doubt my favorite movie of the festival, and as it is due to be released theatrically in April of this year, I definitely recommend checking it out.
Based in part on the writer/director's own angsty teenage years, this coming of age story follows a somewhat nerdy, socially awkward senior in his quest to find the perfect prom date.
The story is set amidst the exciting world of South Florida's retirement community and occurs as young Steven Kaplan (Danny Stein) has to deal with his neurotic, recently divorced parents (William H. Macey and Cheryl Hines) and suffer through their fledgling and embarrassing attempts at dating.
Things grow increasingly desperate when after ignoring the invitation from his sweet but plain life-long best friend, "the fallback girl," he starts going after girl after girl of his dreams only to face the kind of rejection that only a cheerleader can give, that makes it plain that you are considered a geek and social loser just in case you weren't clear on that before. When he loses even his fall back date and the countdown to the prom goes from weeks to hours, panic sets in.
After all he has to go, have a date, and get a room at the hotel because if the enigmatic archetype of the "nerdiest guy at school," Bart, has all that, then you have to too or you're socially doomed. "You have to get a room. Bart's got a room." "Bart's got a room?!"
Part lovable, charming heart-warmer, part screwball comedy this movie is fresh and funny with very real, quirky, but deftly delivered performances. It's just a fun film. Or as the writer/director himself describes it, think of it as "John Hughes with a Woody Allen flair."