Street of Pain

Steve Carrell plays an adult in this short film about dodge ball and memory. The short film is told without any words except the drama of dodge balls. Modern Family's Eric Stonestreet plays another guy. The short film is a challenging format. Steve Carrell does a good job in playing the lead role. The film is strange and I didn't get it mostly. I found it short and unresolved at the end. I kept asking myself what happened. What was it all about? Steve Carrell expands his acting range here and is a credible dramatic actor. Eric Stonestreet shows his talents before his success on Modern Family. The film is done without scripted speech and done with action. It's a challenging departure from normal short films.

This film is told without words and is a truly strange movie. Steve Carell, dressed a lot like Dick Tracy, is walking down the street and comes upon a group of three thugs who begin throwing dodge balls at him--reminding him of a childhood dodge ball trauma! However, the very straight-laced Carell shows that he's learned a lot over the years and is amazing with his skills--quickly knocking two of the thugs out--sending them running. However, with the final thug, the film begins to look like a John Woo film--with Matrix or Jet Li-like moves that are fun to watch. A good film with some interesting scenes, but probably not worth the entire 10 minutes--the story did seem a bit overly long considering how minuscule the plot was. Still, it's worth a look.

A man is walking home down a quiet sidewalk in NYC. Suddenly he sees three men on the opposite side of the street - and remembers how, as a child, they had attacked him with dodgeballs.

A stash of dodgeballs is conveniently sitting on the side of the street. He knocks over a carton of them and a battle ensues, in which he artfully dodges throws from two huge bullies and a flexible skinny guy.

This short film is very unique, and quite funny. Steve Carell made it before he shot to popularity last year with "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," while he was still on the "Daily Show." It takes the mickey out of films like "The Matrix" and I believe the final shot may have even been a reference to one of my favorite films, Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in America." If you're looking for an unpredictable short film with a good bit of clever humor, check this out.

And if you're wondering where you can find it, do a search Yahoo! Video.