Four Dead Batteries

I saw Four Dead Batteries at the Garden State Film Festival where it deservedly won the Audience Award. Going into it, I had no expectations whatsoever as the poster and the tagline really didn't tell me what I was going to see. The film follows the exploits of 4 improv comedians - the titular Four Dead Batteries (each wearing T-shirts on stage that say "D," "AA" or the like) - through their varied relationships with women. The four guys are the archetypes of the American male - the sort-of-happily married guy, the womanizer, the hopeless romantic whose fiancée dumped him, and the schmuck having an affair because he's in a dead-end marriage. As the film unspools, these four idiots (and I say that in the fondest way possible) do their best to manage their love lives while at the same time trying to drum up audiences for their improv shows. The improv is funny as hell, but the film really shines in the small character moments and terrific dialogue. Too say anything in detail would spoil so much of the movie that I just won't do it. While one or two scenes push the limit of plausibility just a touch, the rest of the film deals in a realistic, funny way with the perils of male-female relationships.

In my own humble opinion, the Martinez brothers have crafted a funny and - most importantly - INTELLIGENT sex comedy that I feel makes them the real heirs apparent to Woody Allen. That's heady company indeed, but these guys are the true sons of Woody - more so than Hollywood's pick, Edward Burns.

This wonderful film is everything an indie should be. While by Hollywood standards it may seem a bit rough around the edges, it has longevity. It screened at The Garden State Film Festival in 2004 and people who saw it are still talking about it! I recommend it for it's simple entertainment value! After all isn't that what the entertainment business is actually all about? The actors are funny and believable. The directing is solid. They may lack some production value.But on the budget it was made it is amazing. Besides, any lack of production value they make up for in just plain fun. It may not be for everybody. But if you are looking for a good laugh this a film for you!

With all the controversy surrounding this film, I thought I'd put my 2cents in because I've actually seen it. Unlike most of the people giving the film 1 star after simply reading about it on Roger Ebert's web page.

This is a solid first film. While the lighting can be flat at times (due to DV format I'm guessing), the acting a little rough, and the writing a bit too familiar (Woody Allen comes to mind), the film succeeds in its Direction and Flow You may not fall in love with these characters (they're not that lovable) but you are always looking for what's next to come for them. The scenes are kept short and to the point (a major flaw with most all-too-in-love-with-themselves indie filmmaker), and the pacing moves them on and off your screen in a matter of moments. The filmmakers make good use of dollies and jibs to keep the picture fresh, with only a few scenes hand-held (one hand-held poorly I might add).

The first ten minutes of the film suffer the most. I found them a little hard to get through. We are basically dropped into the four main characters lives and are forced to figure out whats going on. after that the film moves by at a good steady pace.

The real treat here is the advice track on the DVD. The filmmakers put together a commentary track of investors, casting agents, film festival directors, and distributors; they basically give a step by step guide to making a film. A very interesting listen.

All in all I gave it a 7. It was a good little movie and was accomplished on an extremely small budget.

The story for this is OK. Four guys and their warty relationships. I liked it, but my wife thought it stunk, she felt there were no likable characters. While I agree with her on that point,I especially disliked the loser teacher (reminded me a bit too much of loser teacher in Sideways) the film still did a good job of showing "the relationship" in all its screwed up glory.I also agree with a previous post regarding the in media res conceit at the start. Just plopping us down in the middle of one the affairs made it difficult to catch the drift of the story.

The extras are great, especially the how-to on getting a film produced. Icing on the cake is the soundtrack by the Hot Club of Cowtown. Great western swing which works even if you don't like the film. Only drawback with the soundtrack is that it is a bit short. Still, a great listen.

These Dead Batteries Have a Lot of Juice...

I recently had the pleasure of watching one of those "hidden gems" that pop up a handful of times each year. These gems are the types of films that may not have garnered what they deserve from the publicity machine. They are typically independently produced titles or foreign art-house features that go unnoticed by the masses.

"Four Dead Batteries" is a low-budget comedic gem, shot on what feels like digital video, with a cast whose faces you probably won't recognize, but that generates more laughs than 95% of the blockbuster comedies churned out by major studios each year.

It is essentially a four-character film, although there are a ton of great supporting roles too. The four leads comprise the members of a struggling improvised stand-up-comedy quartet.

The fours guys are all approaching that dreaded "middle-age" realization that their lives are not quite what they'd envisioned. The girls in their lives are either too plenty, too few or too familiar.

It sounds like material more suited to Paul Thomas Anderson or Neil LaBute, but first-time writer/director Hiram Martinez is able to infuse this film with so many hilarious scenes and truly acerbic and witty dialog about the nature of these relationships that you will find it hard to stop giggling from credits to credits.

There are at least a half dozen scenes that had me rolling. The most notable of which involves the neurotic guy of the bunch commenting on a series of looks shared between himself, his girlfriend and a young stud who has him flustered with jealousy.

The cast is very good, although noticeably inexperienced with the subtlety of film in some scenes. There are a few instances of overacting. The film also attempts to cram in so much that it occasionally stumbles into an unfunny line or scene. But that is scant criticism in what is essentially an indie-triumph. This is one of the two or three funniest films of the year.

The girlfriend/wife roles are all filled with delightful turns. The most notable of which comes from Alison Becker who delivers a really interesting character... perhaps the one character who deserved more screen time than she actually had. Becker is a star in the making. The camera loves her.

The four leads are Patrick Dall'Occhio, Benjamin Travers, Rob Webber & Dave Zubradt. Dall'Occhio has similar qualities to Vince Vaughn. Rob Webber may be the funniest of the bunch. His character reminded me of Woody Allen's zaniest roles. Webber and Zubradt both balance the film with an everyman quality and each have their moments of hilarity.

Overall, I could not have asked for more from this film. The characters were believable and sincere, and yet still had that successful slapstick element that drove the film to its heights.

"Four Dead Batteries" is not a film you are likely to see playing on 3000 cinema screens... You may not even find it on the top shelf of your local DVD store. But you should make an effort to seek it out of you enjoy relationship comedy at its finest. This is a found gem.