I somehow stumbled upon this movie over the weekend by movie surfing Amazon suggestions and since I love independent 90's films, I decided to watch it. After watching this hilarious movie I have officially added writer/director David Schrader to the likes of Kevin Smith, Richard Linklater, and Eric Schaffer and Donal Lardner Ward for making a no budget film that is entertaining from start to finish and seemingly came out of nowhere. The only difference is the release of NoHo was apparently very limited and it had languished in obscurity outside those lucky enough to have seen it, for the last 26 years. It's a perfect capture of what has been termed "slacker" lifestyle. The main characters, Quinn and Walter, struggle with jobs, (keeping or finding) love, (sometimes sabotaged by atrocious taste in music) and the general malaise and soul searching of life in general. I'm sure anyone who lived in North Hollywood at that time will get a blast from the past because the film seems to lovingly display tons of local locations and landmarks right from the start. I've always thought that Gen X writers like Schrader, Linklater, and Smith display a knack for witty, snap fire dialogue that is the hallmark of our generation. I'm not sure if it sprung organically or everyone influenced everyone else, but this movie has it in many scenes. This movie will make you feel nostalgic for pre cell phone stops at the nearest payphone and the greatest decade we've had in a long time, the 1990's. It's funny, heartfelt, and just plain great.
The only reason I can think of why this film was not picked up for wide distribution is the quality of the filming. It's not as polished as Clerks in many spots, you can see more graininess and some processing burn in places. I tend to find if a film can overcome these technical flaws with a good story and humor that keeps your interest, it's a winner. This film is one of those winners. Do yourself a favor and watch this movie, You'll see it's well deserving of a place in the much lauded indie scene from the 90's.
