Review: TV: The Movie (2008)

Directed by: T. Anthony Moore | 87 minutes | comedy | Actors: Brett Poquette, Oscar Castro, Adam J. Wagener, Alisha Rayne, Shanti Whitney, Gwyn Mason, Arturo Guerrero, Rex Lee, Kurt Miller

‘TV: The Movie’ is a low budget mockumentary by Rapscallion Films about a group of friends, who all aspire to a career in the film and TV world. They all live in a nice house, but no one seems to be concerned about finances. When a letter is delivered one day telling the bank how much backlog there is in paying the mortgage interest, Brett and Oscar are distressed. To get money they decide to make a film. The subject was quickly chosen: they are busy daily making “The Adam Bomb Show Live”, a local talk show that is made via the Public Access Television principle (and which actually exists). It is not clear how the ambitious filmmakers think they will be able to collect money for their film within a short period of time, but luckily they are making some other, if half-hearted, get-rich-quick attempts, such as robbing a shop and betting on horses. Brett’s brother Saul is also brought in, who is doing something unclear in the criminal circuit. The role of Saul is portrayed fairly convincingly by Brett himself. Then there’s Shanti, a lady with a penchant for weapons and a grown man who only shows himself in his Elmo costume.

Truth and fantasy are intertwined in ‘TV: The Movie’. Actually, the actors you see all work for “The Adam Bomb Show”. It provides a lot of natural acting, but unfortunately this is not always extended to the dialogues, which sometimes makes them seem forced. The question that also pops up several times is for which audience ‘TV: The Movie’ was made. As a comedy, the humor is spread too far, although some of the jokes contained in the film are truly brilliant. But unfortunately these can be counted on one hand and other situations only cause a smile. Some of the skits from “The Adam Bomb Show Live” are very bland, like explaining step by step how to eat an apple (step 1: be hungry) and how to fight the sun,

‘TV: The Movie’ lacks a tight and clear plot, and the editing room could also have been tighter, because despite the fact that the film does not clock for an hour and a half, it contains scenes that could really easily be thrown in the trash. end up. All this points to a team that lacks experience. That is not bad: what the film lacks in routine is made up for in enthusiasm, because it is clear that the team behind ‘TV: The Movie’ had fun making the film. That does not make the film recommended, but fans of independent low-budget mockumentaries should keep the name Rapscallion Films in mind. A subsequent production could well score higher.