Scrapple

"Scrapple" concerns Amy (Kate Aselton) and Rick (Mark Duplass, the real-life husband of Aselton), a young couple in the midst of a game of Scrabble, which Rick seems to be taking more seriously. This is even more apparent when Rick tries to argue that "shoer," a word he unintentionally made while spelling out "quicker" on the Scrabble board, is indeed a word, justifying its existence by saying it describes "one who makes shoes or puts shoes on people." Amy won't buy it, but Rick responds by rudely burping or condescendingly mocking Amy and her efforts to play fairly. Right then and there, we see the relationship between this couple defined. They are bound together by an unknown force, but separated by the lack of identifiable feelings between each other and the childish ways they go about expressing such feelings.

Amy and Rick argue, with Amy demanding Rick spit out exactly what he is feeling, encouraging him to just admit that he thinks she's stupid and pathetic. Rick is having difficultly finding the right words to describe his significant other, so expresses his frustrations through the infantile way of burping an delivering ambiguous facial expressions. Such is the premise for "Scrapple," a film about finding the right words, in life and in the insignificant board game we all played as children. Both Aselton and Duplass, who is wonderful at playing the most arrogant characters in film while still remaining likable as an actor, shine in their roles, which, while brief, create a spark of realism for couples in the modern day. "Scrapple" conjures up intriguing ideas about relationships through the way in which we have difficultly expressing present feelings for one another, which is what actors/directors Jay and Mark Duplass have done since they began making films in the early 2000's. The result with "Scrapple" is a frequently humorous and poignant look at the use of words, in life and in games.

Lastly is to try and define the title, which isn't a real word in the conventional sense. This is the part open to blatant interpretation, with my being that a "scrapple" is the only way to adequately define what is going on between these characters while simultaneously referencing the game that started it all between the two characters in the film. I'm sure when conjuring up the title, the Duplass brothers found themselves in the same position as the short's character Rick.

Starring: Kate Aselton and Mark Duplass. Directed by: Jay and Mark Duplass.

What is interesting to watch in this film is the way the directors captured those intimate moments and the subtlest of emotions that doesn't escape their gaze.

In this film, Rick and Amy are seen in a middle of a game of Scrabble. The delightfulness of the occasion, where the film starts as Amy sings a nonsensical lyric soon deteriorated into a seemingly battle of the sexes. A delightful character study that's sure to pique the viewers' interest and satisfy voyeuristic impulses...

Love the Duplass Brothers, he is super cute, young Markie! But, definitely lacking in many areas. It was blah and plotless, but not blah and plotless gold like most of the other Duplass works are. This was stupid; started interesting, then plateaued, then ended suddenly leaving an unfulfilled, what the fudge feeling.

Yes, competitive board game players can make for a compelling short film. Yes, a few funny moments, "Shoer", "Tell Me how you really feel", but it was not enough. It could be so much better, and the Duplass Brothers have proven that, both before and after this one, do this was a miss in my book. A miss, but far from a reflection of their talents. A pity, since I absolutely love Scrabble and actually was looking forward to this one for a long time. Maybe my unintentional high expectations were the problem?