Twisted

I am not sure I have seen a film wherein two men vie for the attention of an attractive woman in a balloon modeling battle, so this one was a first for me. Starting out with the usual idea of a geeky guy getting up the courage to approach a girl, we see him pull out what we assume is the only card in his "first impression" deck – a flower made out of balloons. When a more confident man makes his move with a larger flower, it sparks a contest of "whose is bigger".

Although a standalone short film, it is more of a sketch since there is not really a story so much as a funny and entertaining scenario. The film delivers the contest with the energy and style that made the Scott Pilgrim film so good (or so bad, depending on your personal preference) – it plays out like a video game for a minute (pleasingly using balloons as the energy bars), and is a western standoff for a second, and then is a rap battle for the rest. As a structure it is not so smart or new, but it is the increasingly impressive balloon models which not only makes the film funny, but also makes it a technically engaging short too.

The punch line is pretty decent, although perhaps followed up with a few seconds that weaken the ending, but mostly it is the energetic delivery and creativity in use of the models that make it an enjoyable and fun sketch, even if it is ultimately a sketch.