Pants in the Family

I'm a big fan of Showtime's "Black Filmmaker Showcase" (and "Latino Filmmaker Showcase") which plays this short film. I've seen some excellent and powerful shorts. Unfortunately, this short is among the very least of those I've seen.

The plot idea is not terribly original, and the outcome is certainly predictable. However, it's the writing and horrible overacting that really sink this short film. It plays very much like an episode of a typical average TV sitcom. You can quickly guess the "feel good" moral of the story, so you know exactly where it's going, but it's good for a few chuckles along the way as the actors ham it up.

If you like standard TV sitcoms, especially those with a majority black cast, you probably enjoy this short film. If not, or if you like your short films on the unusual or edgy side, you might want to skip it.

***Update***

Someone pointed out to me that the screenwriter of this short film has actually worked on several majority black cast TV sitcoms, so maybe the director and screenwriter actually hit the mark they were aiming at with this short film, but it's not my cup of tea.

For a far better short film from this duo, check out "The Sunday Morning Stripper" (2003), also playing on Showtime's "Black Filmmaker Showcase".