Schatt's Last Shot

Director Todd Solondz also stars in this short films which follows the hardships of awkward teenager, Ezra Schatt. The film opens with the athletically-challenged Ezra, being screamed at by the high-school basketball coach for not being able to score a basket. Failing gym class will mean he doesn't get accepted to college. Ezra is consoled by best-friend, Bunny, who he desperately wants to ask out, but who clearly doesn't reciprocate his attraction. This is all pretty standard high-school trope territory, but it's presented in what would become Solondz trademark black, deadpan sense of humour. The character of Ezra is very reminiscent of Napoleon Dynamite, so much so you wonder if Jared Hess was inspired by this film. With that in mind, this film was probably ahead of its time, but contemporary audiences will likely find it all a bit familiar. Nevertheless, the dialogue is clever, the storytelling is economical and the cinematography is effective. Ultimately, pretty entertaining.