This little known, no-budget indie flick took me by surprise. As a self-proclaimed low-budget enthusiast, I went in excepting laughs, mainly from low production values and campy acting. I got it, but I also laughed a great deal at the intentionally funny parts as well, many which come at you unexpectedly, ala the much mentioned squirrel. Unlike a great majority of disappointing films that start of with a lot of promise and fizzle by the third act, this movie does the exact opposite. The beginning shows little promise and begins in much the same way as a million other romantic comedies. By the second act, it begins to become apparent that this movie is not going to follow that much treaded plot structure and begins to take on a Kevin Smith type dynamic with a little slapstick thrown in for measure. The third act takes a refreshing turn and avoids the typically expected Hollywood ending to leave the viewer feeling as if the characters in this film actually achieved a real growth (except for one)
The acting isn't the best, however the male and female leads do an satisfactory job. The best friend character is played extremely over the top, almost to the point of unbearableness in this reviewer opinion, although this is countered a lot by the main characters 'straight man' performance. The pizza shop owner is also very funny, although a little one-note in his delivery. The female lead did a good job at balancing these extremes. The best part about this movie was the extras however. The making of feature was downright hilarious, almost more than the actual movie itself, done in a extremely tongue-in-cheek manner. It's becomes readily apparent that the people involved in this film don't take themselves too seriously, and that made me somehow more forgiving of the film as a whole. The outtakes were also funny, even if they went on a bit too long. What's most interesting about the extra was the soundtrack (in it's entirety) was accessible from the DVD menu, and is actually quite good for a soundtrack comprised of complete unknowns.
In the end I walked away from this film pleasantly surprised, but I also walked away with a sense that the film was made by people who truly cared about what they were doing, even if the results weren't as
spectacular as they imagined. Definitely worth checking out.