Turbo Cola

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.

When I say "legitimately entirely amateur", all cast and crew are all either newbs, and/or have very minimal experience in their fields, and that makes a good result great, and more appreciated.

This is co-writer, producer, editor and director Luke Covert's first attempt at filmmaking, and wow, did he not disappoint. Then add that this low budget indie gem was practically perfectly directed and performed by cast I've never heard of, and the cinematography was spot on, with a bonus awesome soundtrack.

The entire story was clever, well thought out and presented. If you're a millennial, or a parent of them, you'll relate to everything that happens in this film. The dreams, the plans, the maturity, the good or failing friendships, the sibling rivalry, the loyalty and let-downs - it's all in this film, and presented on a silver platter.

Was it perfect? Nope, but darn close. The 94 min runtime was used effectively and the pacing was decent. The story was cohesive and flowed smoothly, although a few tweaks were needed here and there.

Covert is certainly a filmmaker to keep an eye out on, because this little amateur production of his was stronger and more entertaining than some recent films from seasoned filmmakers I've seen lately.

Mad props to the entire cast and crew. Intentional or not, it seems there's an opening for a Turbo Cola 2, so I hope that happens. A well deserved 7.5 rounded up to an 8/10 from me.

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.

First I do have a bit of bias for liking this movie cause some good friends were involved in the sound track. That being said I will give my best uncolored review.

This film was very entertaining. The characters were fun and relateable. I will say it was a bit predictable but that didn't really take away from it I think. It felt genuine and I think the lead performance was especially good. The look of the movie was very well done they really captured the essence of a crusty gas station. Last thing I will say is that I loved the ending.

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.