Film review: 'Hungry Bachelors Club'
Well-intentioned but unsatisfying, "The Hungry Bachelors Club" is a quirky romantic comedy with all the forced charm of a failed TV pilot.
Based on the self-published novel of the same name by Atlanta-based author Lynn Scott Myers, the independent production has its share of eccentric characters and a tangled web of subplots that play like a Southern-accented "thirtysomething." But despite some pleasant performances, the flat direction and writing -- leading up to a difficult-to-digest surprise ending -- will leave audiences unsated.
Serving as the story's heart and soul is Delmar Youngblood (Jorja Fox), a food-loving divorcee with a young son who works as an insurance adjuster but dreams of opening her own restaurant (Overworked Screen Cliche No. 127).
During one of the dinner parties she hosts with her best friend and roommate, Hortense (Suzanne Mara), Delmar is greeted with a little business proposition from Hortense's lawyer boyfriend Stanley Paul Provenza). If she's willing to become a surrogate mother for the wife of his smarmy boss Michael Des Barres), he'll be made a partner in the firm, while she'll receive enough cash to finally open that eatery, to be called, naturally, the Hungry Bachelors Club.
While Delmar ponders the offer, her vintage car-obsessed brother Jethro (Peter Murnik) and his drunken slug of a buddy Marlon (David Shackelford) meet up with Moses (Bill Nunn), an ex-con who has taken up residence in his 1956 Cadillac, which is awaiting its fate in a wrecking yard.
Jethro takes in Moses and his Caddy, while Marlon is out to prove to Hortense that women might think they want to be with respectable guys in suits but are really attracted to bad boys who eat with their hands. Delmar, meanwhile, agrees to the little deal and gets pregnant immediately. But by the time the third trimester rolls around, she decides she wants to keep the baby, leading to the aforementioned twist ending that proves to be anything but conceivable.
As directed by Gregory Ruzzin from an adaptation by Fred Dresch and Ron Ratliff, "The Hungry Bachelors Club" and its various ingredients never quite gel. Despite some nice work from its ensemble -- Fox, Murnik and Nunn, in particular -- the end result feels hastily assembled and unsubstantial.
Production values are fine, but, curiously, for a film revolving around a culinary theme, all that food never looks particularly appetizing.
THE HUNGRY BACHELORS CLUB
Mama's Boys Prods.
Taggart Transcontinental and
Managed Passion Films present
A Mama's Boys production
of a Gregory Ruzzin film
Director: Gregory Ruzzin
Producers: Dan Gifford, Amy Sommer
Executive producer: Kimberly Becker
Screenplay by: Fred Dresch, Ron Ratliff
Based on the book by: Lynn Scott Myers
Director of photography: Robert Smith
Production designer: Timothy Duffy
Editors: Stephen Myers, Andrew Frank
Costume designer: Monique "Nikki" Smith
Music: Larry Brown
Color/stereo
Cast:
Delmar Youngblood: Jorja Fox
Hortense: Suzanne Mara
Moses Grady: Bill Nunn
Jethro Youngblood: Peter Murnik
Marlon Price: David Shackelford
Hannibal Youngblood: Candice Azzara
Stanley Diggers: Paul Provenza
Missy Bainbridge: Katherine Kendall
Mr. Ringold: W. Morgan Sheppard
Mr. Spinner: Michael Des Barres
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Based on the self-published novel of the same name by Atlanta-based author Lynn Scott Myers, the independent production has its share of eccentric characters and a tangled web of subplots that play like a Southern-accented "thirtysomething." But despite some pleasant performances, the flat direction and writing -- leading up to a difficult-to-digest surprise ending -- will leave audiences unsated.
Serving as the story's heart and soul is Delmar Youngblood (Jorja Fox), a food-loving divorcee with a young son who works as an insurance adjuster but dreams of opening her own restaurant (Overworked Screen Cliche No. 127).
During one of the dinner parties she hosts with her best friend and roommate, Hortense (Suzanne Mara), Delmar is greeted with a little business proposition from Hortense's lawyer boyfriend Stanley Paul Provenza). If she's willing to become a surrogate mother for the wife of his smarmy boss Michael Des Barres), he'll be made a partner in the firm, while she'll receive enough cash to finally open that eatery, to be called, naturally, the Hungry Bachelors Club.
While Delmar ponders the offer, her vintage car-obsessed brother Jethro (Peter Murnik) and his drunken slug of a buddy Marlon (David Shackelford) meet up with Moses (Bill Nunn), an ex-con who has taken up residence in his 1956 Cadillac, which is awaiting its fate in a wrecking yard.
Jethro takes in Moses and his Caddy, while Marlon is out to prove to Hortense that women might think they want to be with respectable guys in suits but are really attracted to bad boys who eat with their hands. Delmar, meanwhile, agrees to the little deal and gets pregnant immediately. But by the time the third trimester rolls around, she decides she wants to keep the baby, leading to the aforementioned twist ending that proves to be anything but conceivable.
As directed by Gregory Ruzzin from an adaptation by Fred Dresch and Ron Ratliff, "The Hungry Bachelors Club" and its various ingredients never quite gel. Despite some nice work from its ensemble -- Fox, Murnik and Nunn, in particular -- the end result feels hastily assembled and unsubstantial.
Production values are fine, but, curiously, for a film revolving around a culinary theme, all that food never looks particularly appetizing.
THE HUNGRY BACHELORS CLUB
Mama's Boys Prods.
Taggart Transcontinental and
Managed Passion Films present
A Mama's Boys production
of a Gregory Ruzzin film
Director: Gregory Ruzzin
Producers: Dan Gifford, Amy Sommer
Executive producer: Kimberly Becker
Screenplay by: Fred Dresch, Ron Ratliff
Based on the book by: Lynn Scott Myers
Director of photography: Robert Smith
Production designer: Timothy Duffy
Editors: Stephen Myers, Andrew Frank
Costume designer: Monique "Nikki" Smith
Music: Larry Brown
Color/stereo
Cast:
Delmar Youngblood: Jorja Fox
Hortense: Suzanne Mara
Moses Grady: Bill Nunn
Jethro Youngblood: Peter Murnik
Marlon Price: David Shackelford
Hannibal Youngblood: Candice Azzara
Stanley Diggers: Paul Provenza
Missy Bainbridge: Katherine Kendall
Mr. Ringold: W. Morgan Sheppard
Mr. Spinner: Michael Des Barres
Running time -- 93 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 11/12/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.