Checkout

i should qualify that title, now that i think about it. Checkout is not entirely worthless. i've had the opportunity to see it twice, and on the second time i did get a great laugh at the movie's expense. so i guess it's worth something for that. and also it's worthwhile for the excruciating pain it caused me on my first viewing. as another reviewer pointed out, this film is hackneyed in every sense of the word. not a single original thought went into this movie (which makes the comment below about the originality of the premise entirely baffling to me). the film is nothing but a long line of cliches which are strung together and paraded around as a movie. it is definitely not the next Clerks, it is definitely not original, and it is absolutely not "good, clean fun." the film is absolute agony to the uninitiated (after seeing it a first time, the second time can be quite funny, in an insulting sort of way). as i looked around the theater, it was obvious that nearly everyone, barring perhaps the elderly, were completely bored or pained by this movie. during some of the particularly emotional scenes, like where Nick chews out his mother, the audience was actually cringing because it was so poorly done. i even heard someone *groan* in the theater, something i had heretofore never witnessed. i don't care where you have the chance to see this movie, be it at a film festival, or in a indie theater, or wherever. do yourself a favor, skip this movie with a vengeance. unless you're like me and just can't resist the opportunity to see what may truly be the worst movie ever made.

I recently saw Checkout at The Valley Film Festival and really enjoyed it. Anson Scoville, (as Curt McCain) was great. We should definitely be seeing him in more films. Michael Parducci and Burt Young were also very good. Mark Foggetti did a wonderful job with the cinematography and direction of the film. The story is entertaining and has laugh-out-loud humor. If you can... checkout... Checkout!

Director Mark Foggetti synchronizes cast, characters and plot to produce a light, yet engaging film. Mark has a knack for casting, and in drawing out performances of his actors that strike just the right chord for the material. Checkout is no different. Michael Parducci is especially effective as Nick, who, throughout the story, experiences a full range of emotions from love to lament, anger to forgiveness, exasperation to hope, and pulls them all off convincingly.

Yes, there are some sophmoric characters, caricatures and situations, as one reviewer has pointed out, but these are but light-hearted adornments to what is, at its center, a multi-layered love story: the love of a mother and son; the love of two brothers; the love among friends; the love of a man and woman. No one is perfect. No one sells out. No one is unaffected.

If good storytelling is about conflict, and it is, then this is a very good story. The good guys win and that's okay.

Stay tuned for more good stuff from Mark Foggetti. He's just getting warmed up.

I went in to this movie thinking it was going to be the next Clerks, but left feeling let down. The humor was weak and the characters fairly flat. That isn't to say it was all bad, the idea of the dating service in the grocery store seemed like pretty fertile material, but the director switched focus to the cliche'd "save the Mom-and-Pop store from the evil corporation guy". I felt like if he would have just stuck with the dating service plot, he would have come out with a much more memorable movie. Now, to do the film justice, I am from the Rochester area and loved the way he portrayed Webster. In fact, the best Kevin Smith (of Clerks) homage here was giving props to his hometown. Webster, NY is to Checkout what Red Bank, NJ is to Clerks. The director wisely threw in a date at Nick Tahou's. Trust me, as far as things to do in Rochester, a garbage plate is at the top of the list. I was lucky enough to see this film at the Little in Rochester so everybody knew when the odes to the town came up and appreciated them.

I can only say wonderful things about this film! When a local supermarket worker, Nick, who has been a hard worker for years looses his promotion to his ex-fiancé who suddenly blows into town,his love for her and anger for stealing his job make a wonderful cliché. I don't want to give anything away, so I will just say this: From the first scene to the last it is non stop enjoyment! Burt Young is the highlight of this film and it will appeal to people of all ages! I have this on DVD and think so should everyone else! So when you go to a video store, why not check out CheckOut? You will not be disappointed! The supporting cast, however not as famous as Burt Young, also bring this film together to make it become an instant classic.