Do It for Uncle Manny

Ok I saw the film about a month ago at the Texas Film Festival, and while it had its funny moments it felt like a Swingers knockoff the first hour and then it just got "eh." However, it seemed to be a big hit among the "mainstream" audience, of which I am not a member...

Adam Barrata's directorial debut however is impressive and I think he will be capable of amazing things in the future...

I saw this movie at the Tiburon Film fest back in March and thought that it was one of the better movies of the event. Not only does it contain an entertaining story, some great cameos, a beautiful girl, but a down to earth fellow who happens to be the director/writer/main character. Had a talk with him and some drinks, and I can see where his writing comes from. The movie was so enjoyable, that I went back and saw it again, and there were even things that I picked up on that I never noticed the first time.

While the seductive teenybopper pose of Kari Wuhrer on the DVD cover might lead some to believe "Do it For Uncle Manny" was "sexploitation", that is not what this film is about. It is closer to a comedy along the lines of"Swingers", and only contains a smidge of nudity. The first half is laced with familiar male insecurities, and everything up until the unbelievably contrived ending is good. Adam Baratta in a certain way reminds me of a young Burt Reynolds, and delivers a solid performance, as does the rest of the cast. Basically it is the story of Uncle Manny's Rolex watch swiped by Kari Wuhrer, and the quest to get it back. This leads to a bunch of misunderstandings and funny situations. Recommended, but the unsatisfying ending drags it down a notch. - MERK

This is a fantastic comedic film with interesting plot twists. The story involves misperceptions of people that can go awry when mixed with the right situation. Besides the notable contributions of "Louie" Anderson, Danny Nucci ("Titanic"), Colin Mochrie ("Who's Line is it Anyways?"), and several other celebrity faces, the story is led by two best friends, played by Shane Edelman and Adam Baratta. Adam actually wrote and directed the film as well as star. It's a solid film that is enjoyable for a wide range of age groups. While the main characters seem to fit the "teenage movie demographic," the film doesn't require the bathroom humor used in "American Pie" or "Scary Movie" to keep you laughing and interested in the story. A clever script as well as the fact that the cost was so low to create it ($325,000) make this a film to see.

I saw this at a screening at Texas A&M University back in 2002, but it made such a profound impression on me that it has remained one of my favorite comedies. It is intelligent, original, and quaint, not to mention a spectacular success as a directorial debut for Adam Baratta. I honestly expected that he would have done more by now, but regardless of how he decided to proceed, this film was a marvel of independent film-making. I give it 9 out of 10 stars because, as a previous commentator has noticed, there was a slight bit to be desired in the ending, however, it had a great final wrap-up that left me feeling more than satisfied.