Martin & Orloff

I gotta say, Martin & Orloff was probably one of the greatest comedy's I have ever seen. The entire fact that the plot dealt with suicide and yet I was cracking up the great duration of my time spent in the theater definatly proves a point. The movie, in my eyes was a master peice, how I wish I wasn't dyslexic so my message could hold more validity with fewer spelling errors. In short, it kick ass, major, major ass.

This film was shocking right from the opening sequence, and it's refreshing to see that New York's premiere comedy group hasn't lost anything in the translation from the stage to the screen. The writing is razor-sharp and undeniably witty. The performances are a scream, especially the mellow Walsh as the crazed shrink. Roberts is fabulous as the bewildered Martin, and the supporting cast is equally strong, especially when they are joined by the occasional celebrity in a cameo. This is a fast, funny and thoroughly enjoyable film.

Something I've always loved about watching The Upright Citizen's Brigade when it was on Comedy Central was that its cast really had their own unique brand of humor and delivery. Even if it isn't exactly your style, it's still funny and respectable for how unique and unflagging it is in its consistency. With Martin & Orloff, the unofficial UCB movie, their humor translates to the screen with the same quality and integrity that makes them endearing to anyone with an open and progressive sense of humor.

Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh do an incredible job as the title characters. It is obvious from their comedic chemistry how long they've spent doing improv with each other in the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater. They are quite simply, masters of their craft. While obvious how low a budget this movie had, the director, Lawrence Blume does an Incredible job of stretching the budget and utilizing the higher profile celebrity cameos. David Cross, Andy Richter, Jeanine Garafolo, Rachel Dratch and Tina Fey are all used very well and in small doses so that they don't overshadow the main players. Andy Richter and David Cross's characters in particular, had me out of breath with laughter, as they are both charicatures of people we've probably all met and loathed.

I cannot stress enough how offbeat this particular brand of humor is, but there's nothing that would stop me from recommending this gem to anyone in order to extend its current one-week run at the Sunshine Cinemas in Downtown Manhattan. It truly deserves a larger audience. Go see this wherever you can and go in with an open mind. I guarantee you laugh at times without quite knowing why and you'll feel great about it. I got to see this movie free at an advanced screening and I would gladly (and will later this week) pay to see it again.

Martin & Orloff is great. I was lucky to see an advanced screening of the movie and am ecstatic that it is being released in theaters. I have never come across a movie like this; I will never look at an eggroll or a professional wrestler the same way again. Plus, I don' t know how they were able to get such an amazing cast, since the writers (Matt Walsh and Ian Roberts) were both members of the Upright Citizen's Brigade, they know what they are doing. They are (they wrote the script with Katie Roberts)ones to be trusted when it comes to comedy. I really hope everyone goes see this movie, it would be a shame if it didn't get the proper recognition that it deserves.

I really wanted to enjoy "Martin & Orloff," which saddles its first-rate cast with third-rate material. I liked the opening scenes, which made me think that M&O would be a black comedy about a suicidal man trying to readjust to normal life--the scene where Ian Roberts cleans copious amounts of his own blood off his bathroom floor packs a wallop. Unfortunately, the movie soon abandons that idea to focus on the old "psychiatrist who's crazier than his patients" cliché. I could *almost* forgive the psychiatrist and his pals being over-the-top, cartoonish freaks, but the portrayal of the Chinese food mogul and his henchmen as insulting racial caricatures was enough to ruin the film for me. The best aspect of "Martin & Orloff" is seeing David Cross do an early version of his "Arrested Development" character.