Wrong Numbers

'Wrong Numbers' captures the plight of anyone who has reached the magical time in their life where you are old enough to be drafted, tried in court as an adult, get married, or live on your own but, not old enough to buy beer. In a buddy plot reminescent of 'Swingers' or 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off', James (Matt Bearden) wants to go out and have a good time and help his friend Russell (Scoot McNairy) forget about the fact his girlfreind since Freshman Move-In Day is out with a "guy friend". The characters they meet along the way come straight out of a Kevin Smith film, offering the two friends everything from drugs to a life of crime. The only thing that seems impossible to get in Austin, Texas for the two 19 year olds is beer!

The movie was shot on a $10,000 budget in Austin, Texas. The director, Alex Holdridge and many of the cast memebers were at the special screening and nervously awaited the audiences' response. Throughout the movie, the audience, myself included, missed some dialog due to the laughter. Holdridge's apparent influences included many of my personal favorites - Kevin Smith ('Clerks', 'Dogma'), Wes Anderson ('Bottle Rocket', 'Rushmore'), and Doug Liman ('Swingers', 'Go'). The influence was blatantly obvious during a discussion about 'Scooby Doo' and possible drug ties.

The movie opened with a couple of shorts that were also very entertaining. Holdridge mentioned that he would be starting production of his second film, 'Our Merry Life" "a bleak romantic comedy about what our generation thinks about marriage," in July. I hope that I am fortunate to be able to catch this one as well....8 out of 10