Salesmen

I get it, I get it...comparing it to cult 'neo-classics'.... It's the characters, premise, pace, and style that makes this unique. It's the new shtick. This film has it...loads of it, while not being caught up trying to be edgy.

Watched this film with no foreknowledge of creators' backgrounds. Within a minute I knew this was one of those films I would have to accept on its own terms if I were to have any chance of enjoying it.

Well I "got on board" and was well rewarded for my decision to do so. There is not a shred of cynicism in this oddball low budget comedy. That alone made it worthwhile for me. Devoid of irony as well (in this post-ironic era). There is no "meta" here. No self consciousness. It's just a quirky comedy written and performed with sincerity. How refreshing!

I didn't laugh out loud. But I smiled till my face hurt. For me the comic value of this "comedy" was superseded by the full commitment of the ensemble to make the thing work. They were "on board". And that kept me "on board" This type of commitment used to be the hallmark of most low budget narrative indies. Not so much anymore.

Alas.

I watched this because I'm a big fan of Cumtown and I couldn't miss a movie with Stavros Halkias in it. He plays a cult leader who uses a small group of door-to-door salesmen to spread his influence. His performance isn't great but also isn't entirely unrealistic. He distinctly reminds me of an uncharismatic schizophrenic sleazeball I found on YouTube once, who both claimed to be Jesus and tried to prove that the world is inside-out. It's not your typical cult leader performance, as far as my exposure to cult-related films goes, but Stav's performance does fit. He has his great moments.

The rest of the movie is serviceable, and I found most of the jokes funny. The whole thing felt pretty simple and very utilitarian, with no remarkable cinematography, a handful of good sight gags, and one bit of editing that stood out to me (in the "my boss is too busy to talk with you" bit).

The actors generally do a fine job, and some of them have great chemistry together, but I didn't realize until the movie was over that any of them were also comedians. Having looked them up afterward, I feel like there was a lot of wasted potential in this movie. I don't know how good they all are at standup, but I figure they've gotta be more lively and charismatic than they are here. The movie is pretty down-to-earth when I feel like it could go crazy and be more memorable if it relied more on improv and other input from its cast. But maybe it did, and the lead actors still ended up creating something that feels pretty conventional anyway.

If you're interested in Salesmen, it's probably because you recognize at least one of the comedians listed among its cast. If that's the case, then I'd recommend giving it a peek. It probably won't be as exciting as their standup routines, but it still tells a fun story with a handful of good jokes. It's fine!

Great movie and found the jokes to be entertaining. Good cast and thought it was cool seeing Stavros Halkias, Pi Kappa Phi alumni on the big screen. The only thing that was a drawback was that I couldn't stop myself from falling into an episode of what is called colloquially by the name of the Thousand Island Stare. It is not to be mistaken with the thousand yard stare, which many people with PTSD experience. The Thousand Island Stare is much more sinister, which ends up going really well with and compliments the dark nature of the movies' plot, which is like a kiss on the cheek by a very handsome Greek chef, akin to the star Stavros Halkias.

Excellent movie, truly underrated and definitely going in my movie reference list. Well done everyone involved. Found your film on an android tv app and had the best night, will have to watch again with the wife. Im living in Sweden and i dont know how well you are known in the US, but as a foreigner never having been there, I got vibes of GTA5, Seth Rogan, even some classic naked gun style physical humour in there. But at the same time it's a bold choice to shoot in black and white, I mean the white balance alone, just look at clerks 1, but the cameraman and editing department made those shots cinematic. This is the kind of stuff I wish they showed in movies.