Turbo Cola

The film is based on a short play and you can tell - almost everything onscreen takes place in a small gas station store, the only other scenes take place just outside the small gas station store.

It's not really a comedy and the lines that are clearly supposed to be funny just aren't funny. If I were feeling generous, I'd say it has the feel of 'Clerks' to it, but it's nowhere near as accomplished as that film.

The USP here is that everything takes place in the hours leading up to midnight on Millennium NYE. The build up and heist plotting is actually really well done but the remaining 1hr 15m of the film never really lives up to it.

The lead performance is pretty good (the rest of the cast less so) but you very much get the feeling you're watching actors act, rather than any of it coming across natural or believable.

I've also read comments about how it 'accurately recreats the 1999 era', when the reality is that it's just a few older brands on the store shelves and some clothes (much of which is identical to what people wear today in any case).

Not entirely sure how anyone would rate this 10/10 when it literally defines the term 'distinctly average'. Is it worth watching? Just about. My attention drifted numerous times but I did make it to the end.

As of 3rd August 2022 Turbo Cola has a rating of 4.7. That's crazy!! The movie is great, the cast of unknown actors are brilliant, the story was entertaining and the dialogue kept me engaged. I honestly can't understand the negative reviews and low ratings. I can see it becoming a future cult classic.

The title says it all. If you want to know what this movie is like, imagine Clerks (1994), but with way less interesting characters and even less humour. If you're unfamiliar with Clerks, so the reference isn't helpful, I'll describe this movie in one sentence. This is your average coming of age story with characters you'll instantly forget, much like the movie.

An intriguing plot can keep an audience engaged in a story, but usually it's the characters that catch and keep our attention. These characters are shallow and cliche, with dialogue and performances that won't leave an impression. They don't promote an emotional investment so it's difficult to care about them or their plights.

It's not a bad movie, it's just uninspired. With the exception of some slightly clever plot elements, the script is emotionally and mentally numbing. There's little to no humour in the script and the dialogue is shallow with no profundities to be found. There's no clever or intellectual insights provided beyond things change after high school is over.

It's a period piece set in the year 1999, and it's an average coming of age story with nothing new to say. What it does say, it says with a blasé script with banal dialogue. If you're feeling nostalgic or just want to watch a great coming of age tale set around that era, you'll find dozens of movies made in the 90's and 00's with more entertainment value. Many will actually reward your investment in time and energy by watching them.

I liked this film a lot. As a filmmaker, myself, I can appreciate what was accomplished here. I found the story and setting charming as 1999 was a memorable time for me, even though I was well out of high school by then. I enjoyed the characters, the director's style and thought it was well produced and well shot. Austin and Swearsky were my favorite, but the rest of the cast did a great job as well. A fun watch!

It's 1999 on the eve of Y2K. Austin is a convenience store clerk in Mechanicsville, Michigan. He has come up with a scheme to rob the ATM with his slacker friend Swearsky. He plans to move to NYC to live with Mary Jane who has a scholarship to NYU. Her brother Jimmy is his volatile drug-selling friend.

It's an indie and a Clerks wannabe. The big difference is that I don't like these characters. At most, I find some of them tolerable. I get the Swearsky slacker character. I really don't like the Jimmy character. He's like the creepy bug that is crawling on your skin. I can't get away from him fast enough. I thought maybe the movie would make him have a crush on Austin. At least, that would have been interesting. The lead Austin also has the annoying problem. He's a troubled character. There is a way to make him more appealing, but there is something about the actor's voice that bugs me. Too many of these characters are bugging me which holds back the comedy.