Walter

While I was waiting for something to happen I suddenly realized that this is a very nice little human interest story. Walter lost his Dad at a young age and it stunted him emotionally. His gradual realization of what his life is and what it could be is the story. There is some very nice talent with medium and small roles as his parents, psychiatrist, his father's former lover and even the great Jim Gaffigan as the movie theater manager. It is a slow paced feature but Andrew J. West has a lot going on as Walter deals with his unresolved grief for his Dad, his over protective Mom and his strong attraction to Kendall, the popcorn girl at the movie theater where he works. Justin Kirk plays the ghost who haunts him with snarky humor and a dose of reality which serve as the catalyst that Walter desperately needs to wake up and get a life. All in all a surprising and creative little flick that is worth your while if you can live without the usual clichés featured in today's films.

While the presence of several well known actors including William H. Macy and Virginia Madsen have been referenced frequently in reviews and promotions of screenwriter Paul Shoulberg's movie Walter, the film wouldn't be as poignant if not for the stellar portrayal of the main character "Walter" by Andrew J. West. From his role as a cannibal in "The Walking Dead" to a Christian (of sorts) in Walter, Andrew's ability to create an awkward, ostensibly autistic 20-something and then transform him into a more relatable character as the story progresses is the beauty of watching this film. If you only add one independent movie to your watch list this year, make it Walter.

"Walter" is a movie for the wtf bin. If you like picking movies out of the wtf bin, then you're all set. With a plot as bizarre as the whimsy of Charlie Kaufman ("Being John Malkovich", "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind") and a deadpan comedic presentation like something you might find Bill Murray in ("Groundhog Day", "Scrooged") and an artistic visual approach to everyday scenery ("Joe Vs the Volcano", "Buffalo '66"), this film is like an amalgamation of all the cool quirky flicks that exist under the radar. And yet it has a distinctly original vibe that sets it apart from the rest.

The plot in one sentence: A 20-something OCD nerd who could pass for Rain Man's younger brother is tasked with the surprisingly easy task of determining whether people go to heaven or hell, but when he gets snagged on a technicality (a lovably pesky ghost whom he can't seem to figure out), his meticulously structured life starts to come apart, prompting him to seek treatment from a therapist (William H Macy) who himself is just 1 session away from the looney bin. If I lost you, never fear, the plot isn't important. Although it certainly has its twists & turns and a well crafted mystery, the plot isn't as central as is the character development and deconstruction of our hero whose name is, you guessed it, "Walter".

Though the story is very surreal, supernatural and fantasy-like, the visual presentation is very realistic (no dazzling special effects or acid trip sequences) which fits perfectly. Walter's life, as bizarre as it is to us, is normal to him, mundane and ritualistic. So the low key camera work is appropriate, forsaking sight gags in lieu of subtle storytelling through symmetry, repetition, attention to detail and all those things Walter surrounds himself with. That is until Greg the ghost enters his life, and that's when things start getting a little weird.

Top notch acting by everyone on screen, from the complex Walter to the peripheral weirdos he works alongside at the movie theater, from the cynical & wacky therapist (Macy) to the rational & stoic ghost who seems to be the only sane character in the story, and all of this is glued together by Walter's 1 true lifeline to reality, his mother (Virginia Madsen) who seems to be dangling over the edge of a nervous breakdown the whole time.

"Walter" made me laugh out loud a few times, but you shouldn't expect a comedy. It's really more of a quirky drama along the lines of a Terry Gilliam film ("Brazil", "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas") but with a more indie approach. Aside from broad similarities to the cult classics I've mentioned, there aren't too many flicks that compare. But it reminded me of the unknown gems "Little Sister" (about an ex-goth girl turned nun who returns to her backwoods hometown), "Dark Mind" (a more serious and visually stylish thriller about the complexities of a paranoid agoraphobe), and an awesome Italian flick "The Ferpect Crime" (about a guy trapped in the women's section of a department store and somehow he meets a ghost or two). Yes, "Walter" may proudly take its place smack dab in the middle of the coveted wtf bin. The world needs more flicks like this.

Despite awkward writing in pertinent moments, this script works. Walt's love interest could have been better cast by yards or inches depending on how the director had control. The base theme is spot on in terms of how the writers displayed the denial that accompanies the deep loss felt by a child when coping with devastating loss. The relationship between Walt and some-girl-at-his-job was weak at best. His relationship with his therapist was more meaningfully developed in only minutes, a few scenes. Did not understand the egg thing. Rather, got it, but did not feel the import. Cool film, nice sentiment. Some ideas were undeveloped, but then maybe that's just the way it is. Acting well done by William H.Macy, Justin Kirk, Virginia Madsen, Jim Gaffigan of course, and AndrewJ. West.

The scene where Walt and Kendall shared a moment (in fact any shared screen time by these actors was forced) where Kendall was crying in the theater was sad only in that it was so poorly written. Failed love plot or huh? In fact, that's where the plot missed the attempt to connect the potentially shared grief. Walt's voice over stated that life's dreariness is blah blah unless shared. Completely failed element. Never developed. Nice film, well acted. Just needed some plot polishing beyond some cookie-cutter chick laying on popcorn ala American Beauty rose petals. We get that. Finish it. Yeah, the romance was stale at best even if it was a sub-plot. Finish the plot.

The Idea of the movie is nice, a guy on earth acting as god's judge whether you go to hell or heaven .. and really well written script ,, and plot just keep growing and attract you to a point where you really lose you sh!t trying to know which is real and which is not.

The Cast was amazing, Andrew J. West was sensational and bravo to the performance of the socially awkward role .. but come on !! ain't William H. Macy so genius where ever he's in !! i loved him in "Shameless" and now he's acting like the careless but knowledgeable psychiatrist .

The only thing which felt off about the movie is it feels like it's so short,, and it kinda was ... events go fast and the movie is just over like that,, i mean for a story like that i kinda wished there was a bit more to it,, but who knows! it might'v gotten boring if they'd done that..

So the movie overall is cool, recommended to watch it's not the wowzer type of comedy but it's definitely the one you'd enjoy watch with family on a Friday pizza night ;)

.....Spoiler.....

It's all about how you deal with grief. :)