Free Enterprise

I think the average viewer would be left cold by this movie, but for

those who have guys like this in their lives and perhaps have been

the 'geek'y female in their circle it's pretty cute. Also, Shatner rules.

As a chick who has spent part of the rent money on an original 12"

Boba Fett and spent adolescence keeping the one and only

Captain as her personal lord and savior, I totally recommend it. Its

place in film lore perhaps best belongs on Comedy Central on a

rainy Sunday afternoon, but sometimes that's enough.

I would have liked to seen more (or anything) done with the female

counterparts of these types of guys - many are not model types like

Claire but are interesting people in their own right. We're out there

searching for these guys while these guys are searching for

models who have our brains and sensitivities. (A wry, ironic, LOL

here.)

If you aren't a hard core Trek/sci fi fan, you'll be bored to limbo by this film, so don't even bother reading on. But if you are, there isn't a better fan movie for you than this. Right from the beginning, the jokes and references fly so fast and furious (from young Mark's flying leg kick and "no, I won't kill him!" line, straight to the end) that you'll be kept on your toes all the way through. The writing is very clever for the entire film, including Robert's set-up for the surprise at the end. The interactions are witty and excellent. And even if you think the jokes get a bit repetitive at some point, that's not all this film has to offer. You can look it also as a semi-serious autobiography (which it partly is) about two sci fi nerds very much like the rest of us with faults very much like our faults (though played to the extreme) trying to fulfill their dreams; Robert is a brash womanizer, but living too deeply in his fantasy world and irresponsible to the point where he leeches off friends more shamefully than any of us would dare (the scene where he meets Claire a prime example), and chooses to go without telephone or electricity so he can line his shelves with mucho expensive collectors' action figures. Mark is responsible and loyal to his friends, yet his narcissus complex (he won't even talk to people in his office unless they're sitting down!) and fear prevents him from dating any woman he cares about. While the film is packed with our favorite geek humor, their problems are very real, as are their deeper interactions and how they are affected by them. Free Enterprise is a wonderful story of friendship, struggle and ultimate achievement that people like us can all very strongly relate and aspire to, with important lessons underneath the jokes.

I really enjoyed this film. Even though I had never heard of any of the lead actors, except of course for William Shatner, I thought they did an incredible job of portraying their characters. Intellectual, devoted, neurotic, and erotic are just a few of the qualities they were asked to convey. And William Shatner is a revelation revealing that his hopes, dreams, and fears are closer to those of his committed fans than they could ever have imagined. Since I have seen most of the Star Trek episodes and movies and the other films alluded to by the characters, I was able to appreciate all the wonderful in-jokes. I highly recommend this hilarious film even if you are not a Star Trek fan, 9/10.

"Free Enterprise" is so giddily goofy in its charm and appeal that you just can't help but love it. The plotline concerns the trials and tribulations of two friends, bonded together by science fiction and "Star Trek" inparticular, having a chance meeting with their idol; William Shatner. This chance meeting develops into a business relationship for one and a friendship for the other.

Eric McCormack (TV's Will and Grace) stars as Mark, the slightly older and far and away more mature of the two friends. He will be 30 in a couple days and is having panicked "Logan's Run" flashbacks in his head as he wonders what his life had been worth so far. Mr. McCormack plays this role so well, the "I'm better than you" attitude just drips off the screen.

Rafer Weigel is Robert, the other half of this friendship tandem. He is more "damn the torpedoes" and lives life by a thread. Losing girlfriend after girlfriend because a rare collectible action figure is more important than rent or utilities, his character is constantly falling in and out of love. Nice role here as well, played with almost maddening indifference. You get the impression that's the way this guy is in reality as well. All that means of course, is that he really sold the part.

William Shatner is himself, clearly poking holes in his "Star Trek" facade. Shatner reveals "himself" to be a heavy drinking, porn reading but sincere guy. He plans to do a musical production of "Julius Caesar" with himself playing all the parts. The ending sequence concerns this,and has to be seen to be truly appreciated.

Several faces from the past dot the background, Deborah Van Valkenburg ("The Warriors", "Too Close For Comfort"), Ellie Cornell ("Halloween 4" & 5). Nice to see Ellie is still acting. I liked her "Halloween" performances.

"Free Enterprise" shows that indie films have a life beyond "My Life As a Bar of Soap". That indie filmmakers have a wonderful sense of humor and direction, and that they can churn out "mass-pleasing" films.

4 out of 5

First off, it's too long. The thing goes on for two hours and yet there is no plot. It goes nowhere. These two nerds meet Shatner in a bookstore and...? And nothing. Nothing happens. Shatner practically disappears for the rest of the movie.

And the dialogue is terrible. The characters don't talk to each other. They just spout monologues that aren't connected with anything. It's like they listed a bunch of pop-culture references, then tried to work them into the scene somehow regardless of relevance. But it really doesn't matter. They don't have original voices anyway. Every character is the same.

It's like a self-indulgent student film. The main characters are irritating but portray themselves as "cool" and "misunderstood". They refer to themselves as "talented filmmakers". There are flashbacks to episodes in which they receive fellatio or verbally berate a woman and then callously prompt her for sex (wow - so cool). And the love story? The love interest is a beautiful babe who recites titles of unknown comic books. Very believable. And then the girl breaks up with the main character because he can't pay his bills. What? This movie tries to be SWINGERS so badly (and I mean badly). But SWINGERS had interesting characters and interesting situations. There's nothing remotely interesting going on here at all.

Plus, the acting is over-the-top. But it's hard not to be when you've got horribly written dialogue like this. All in all, one of the worst things I've ever sat through. Avoid this one like steamy dog doo.