MiddleMan

MiddleMan is a movie that turned out to be much better than I expected. The cast doesn't consist of very well known actors but they all did a good job playing their respective characters. Jim O'Heir has that same nerdy naive look he has in the great comedy series Parks & Recreation, his character is another push over guy but this time with a twist. Good performance from him, his collaboration with the other main character played by Andrew J. West works really well. The script is well written, full of subtle twists and turns, a right amount of comedy and light gore, in other words a good job from director/writer Ned Crowley. The cinematography was of high quality, for a small budget it was way better then some high budget Hollywood productions. MiddleMan deserves definitely a higher rating on here.

When I started watching this bizarre little film, I wondered where I'd seen the lead actor before. Turns out Jim O'Heir played Jerry in "Parks & Recreation," one of my favorite TV shows. I looked him up on IMDb and was amazed to find he's been in 183 movies and TV shows! That's an astonishing number for an actor that young.

Anyway, back to "Middle Man." Lenny Freeman (O'Heir) is a boring accountant. When his mother dies, she leaves him nothing but debt and her old Chevy. Lenny uses this as an excuse to pursue his dream--to head to Vegas and become a famous comedian. Problem is, he isn't funny. Not at all. His favorite comedies are old 1940s and 50s radio shows. But on the way out west, he picks up a mysterious character "Hitch" (Andrew J. West), a sleezebag who volunteers to be Lenny's manager.

Lenny goes on stage at a small bar/comedy club and bombs terribly. After his dismal performance, he has an encounter with one of his hecklers outside the bar. He wakes up the next morning to discover the man has been murdered, so he stuffs him in the trunk of his car. Hitch convinces him to go on stage that night and recount the story of him killing his heckler, bloody shirt and all. And lo and behold, the audience response is amazing! They love his "act" figuring he's fabricated the whole story.

From here on out, the story gets crazier and crazier. Sure, things get a little bloody, but it's only a movie. I've never seen anything quite like it. If you're in the mood for something truly different, you owe it to yourself to check out "Middle Man."

Outstanding! If you like funny, dark, smart movies that will stay with you and have you thinking for days, then watch MIDDLE MAN! Performances were great - especially Jim O'Heir and Andrew West - Can't wait to see more from Writer Director Ned Crowley. Love the way he wrapped old school comedy and desires for fame with meaningful themes of today. This was really a GREAT movie!

If you get just as sick and tired of big budget Hollywood hit-n-misses as I do you're going to love this one.

'MiddleMan' packs the biggest punch on a shoe-string budget you could ever hope for.

Jim O'Heir portrays Lenny, a borderline mentally ill butterfaced nobody who's infected with some naïve dream of becoming a stand-up comic, and he gets his wish unexpectedly through murder and mayhem.

I was surprised how long the story went on and how nuanced it was. While the characters start out as a cheap joke, they turn into something very real half way out and to the end.

For some reason I was reminded of some other grade B Classic flicks like 'Eating Raoul' from 1982.

An astonishing accomplishment that will be unfortunately forgotten in no time.

This film, at least, will stick in my mind for a very long time.

Loved it.

There's an old joke that about something "being funny until someone gets poked in the eye. Then it's really funny." That sums up the plight of poor Lenny, played by Jim O'Heir, star of Parks and Rec. A poor sad sack who gets in deeper than he ever imagined was possible. And then, as the joke goes, it's really funny. First time director Ned Crowley has a deft hand at writing great characters and then bringing them to life. He's also managed to create a piece of film on a shoestring that looks like it cost millions.