The Wrong Todd

I really like this kind of movie and this was easy to follow and cute.

In the movie's defense, I didn't watch the whole thing.

But I didn't miss a thing.

I skipped about 2/3rds of the movie and couldn't tell that I had skipped anything. The movie was slow, and it was enough to keep me interested, but slow enough to be frustrating. So - I started skipping.

I watched the opening, the very middle, and the tail end. And I left feeling like I had seen the whole thing. I didn't have any questions.

Okay, enough of the cons.

This movie was interesting enough to keep me from turning it off. The idea was interesting, the characters different, and it had a somewhat fun vibe.

Every now and then something moderately funny was said. A couple of times I actually laughed.

But it was still way too long. I shouldn't have been able to skip so much and not missed it. Or had been frustrated with the pace.

I gave it a 3/10 for being enough that I didn't turn it off.

I stumbled across this film on cable (satellite) and am glad I did. The special effects/sets were sometimes laughably low-budget (I am sure that Christmas lights and a Lite-Brite were used to make the control panels) but the acting and story were good.

Someone skewed the ratings by voting 20 times for one star. Come on!

The average should be at least in the sevens.

I caught this gem at Other Worlds Austin Film Festival and it was the most charming, most enjoyable film of the fest. This movie was directed by a former editor for Family Guy and you could tell from minute one that the film had a confident, firm grasp on its humor and style. It was funny and sweet and had a wonderful energy. The film delicately balances its tone and humor. Endearing performances abound.

I don't want to delve into spoiler, it's best discovered. But the plot essentially boils down to a regular guy named Todd who comes face-to-face with himself from another dimension one morning. The other dimension Todd wants his life.

What transpires from there is gold. Terrific supporting performances. A great story that, while funny, doesn't ever feel glib about its stakes. A terrific ending.

This is really what you hope to find in an indie.

This is what ultra low-budget movie-making should be. I watched this with 2 other people, and everyone enjoyed it. Don't expect hard sci-fi or an actual explanation of how the parallel universe travel works, you will not find it here, that is not what this film is about. Of the many low-budget films I watch, this is one I can easily recommend and it deserves much wider viewership. The acting is above average, the script is solid, the concept is fun, it doesn't take itself seriously, it knows how goofy it's plot is, and it is a movie that is clean without gruesome moments or nudity.

Both Todd's are well-played, in fact. Jesse Rosen does a fantastic job here. The weakest acting in the movie probably comes from Anna Rizzo who plays Lucy, I feel she overplays things in the first half a bit, borderline scenery chewing, although I reall did dislike her at first, which was kind of the point. Both Todd and Lucy are not the most likeable of sorts, typical self-centered lower-middle class folk I guess. Dave is probably my favorite character, he's actually a pretty great character in both universes, for different reasons, and this is thanks to some solid acting from Sean Charmichael.

For the most part, the changes in the characters throughout the movie are believable, maybe a little convenient for the plot, ut still believable. This movie is easily a solid 7. The sound mixing is good, the lighting is good, the camera work isn't ad no great cinematography, but it works fine, the music is okay, but nothing is distracting to the point it takes away from the story, which is what this movie is about. It is meant to be some visual extravaganza, if I could compare it to another film, I would compare it to the no budget time travel film "Making Time", although this came out first and is better made. If you like this film, I do recommend that one as well, both are good date night movies.

I would love to see more films like this, too many low-budget movies go for the easy and are just horror films, but it is absolutely possible to make about any genre on a low or no-budget if you want to.