Spivak

A friend of mine told me to check out Spivak and, after a bit of hesitation, I decided to give it a try. I was really surprised! The movie is so charming, off-beat, smart, and unpredictable. The story is about this really bad unpublished writer who suffers through life around Los Angeles amidst these crazy characters who all try to help him even when he doesn't want to be helped. The grumpy guy who plays Spivak turns out to be pretty adorable, but the peripheral performances steal the show. The British guy who plays the golf pro Chuck gives a great performance as a jock who dreams of being an intellectual. Michael Cera has a small supporting part as Spivak's successful adversary. He's pretty funny in here as well. Anyway, I really recommend this movie. It's fun!

The main character is frustrating to watch.... self pity, aimless, losing attitude.... until slowly but surely his life turns around when he meets people completely at the other end of life spectrum !

Wally Spivak (Michael Bacall) is a small time writer - uncool and unpublished. His "friends" who aren't much more cool than Wally themselves, still needle him incessantly that he just keeps redrafting the same manuscript. Alone at an all but deserted bar on Valentines night he's unexpectedly picked up by Jannine (Maggie Lawson), a totally cool girl from very much the other side of town. What is going on?

Enter Chuck (Robert Kazinsky), the irrepressible British golf pro harbouring a secret yearning for literature - a character so unlikely that the word surreal comes to mind. Despite the inexhaustible good humour and generosity of the new rich kids in his life, Wally is still overthinking - sure there must be a downside just around the corner.

Like an author's dream, the vein of surrealism persists, but everyone acts their part with conviction and we're carried along by the unlikely train of events. We shouldn't be overthinking either, just taking in the entertainment and enjoying the ride.

Offbeat, small budget rom-com starring Chris Kattan's vestigal twin. While cloyingly eccentric, the main plot is time-worn and used up. Insecure, blocked-up writer with a permanent "constipation-face" meets woman (who in reality would never give him the time of day) in an unlikely fashion. She's engaged to a studly, dim-bulb golf pro. Wacky hijinks ensue, rocketing to a predictable conclusion. No belly laughs, but nothing objectionable either. I thought of two endings that could've made this stand out a bit more, but a happy ending must be more bankable. Unfortunately, the ending destroys the quirky ambiance.

This one could have easily fell into the same trap of so many low budget slacker comedies. Cliched gamers sitting on the couch, cocky sarcastic losers, sexual innuendos, etc. Thankfully they actually avoided those things. This movie tends to teeter on complete farce and romantic comedy. It works on that level. There are some laugh out loud moments like the empty Vegas club with the pulsating music, and some brief tender moments when the golfer tells him how much he loves the book, and he 'gets' it. And it's sort of fun watching the story play out. So there are some redeeming factors. But where this movie, and so many others, fail is that they present what is basically a depressed sad sack loser who never says anything funny, brilliant or really insightful, yet for some reason two hot babes, one is a Laker girl, are able to see through all that, see him for what he is and they fall for him. I think that's very lazy writing. Anyone can fall for anyone, but there ARE reasons. There was nothing in this dude that any women would really like, let alone an upper class babe or a hot dancing Laker girl.