Martin & Orloff

Martin & Orloff is a movie about the relationship between a suicide attemptee and his psychiatrist who has as many issues as his patient. The movie made me laugh several times but, like cotton candy, it had no substance to it. It started fading from my mind as soon as I left the theater. Enjoyable but forgetable. I can see myself in a couple of years, if this movie ever makes it to tv, saying "I might have seen that. I'm not sure."

This film was shocking right from the opening sequence, and it's refreshing to see that New York's premiere comedy group hasn't lost anything in the translation from the stage to the screen. The writing is razor-sharp and undeniably witty. The performances are a scream, especially the mellow Walsh as the crazed shrink. Roberts is fabulous as the bewildered Martin, and the supporting cast is equally strong, especially when they are joined by the occasional celebrity in a cameo. This is a fast, funny and thoroughly enjoyable film.

I really wanted to enjoy "Martin & Orloff," which saddles its first-rate cast with third-rate material. I liked the opening scenes, which made me think that M&O would be a black comedy about a suicidal man trying to readjust to normal life--the scene where Ian Roberts cleans copious amounts of his own blood off his bathroom floor packs a wallop. Unfortunately, the movie soon abandons that idea to focus on the old "psychiatrist who's crazier than his patients" cliché. I could *almost* forgive the psychiatrist and his pals being over-the-top, cartoonish freaks, but the portrayal of the Chinese food mogul and his henchmen as insulting racial caricatures was enough to ruin the film for me. The best aspect of "Martin & Orloff" is seeing David Cross do an early version of his "Arrested Development" character.

I recently caught this at the 2003 Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan. To start off, this was the best movie at the festival, a hysterical movie that keeps you entertained every minute. I loved it so much, I saw it two times at the festival.

Martin is a mascot designer who unsuccessfully tried to kill himself. He goes to see a psychiatrist, Dr. Orloff, and hilarious events ensue. Written by members of the Upright Citizen's Brigade, Martin and Orloff has many cameos throughout, including Andy Richter, Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey, and Janeane Garafalo.

First time director Lawrence Blume does an excellent job with this film. I had the privilege to meet the director, and he was extremely nice. He had so many great stories to tell about the movie, it was obvious the whole cast and crew had a great time making the movie.

I recommend this movie to anyone who wants a good laugh. There are some certain scenes that aren't for everyone's taste, but it is an excellent movie. One of the best comedies I've seen in a long time.

10/10

Something I've always loved about watching The Upright Citizen's Brigade when it was on Comedy Central was that its cast really had their own unique brand of humor and delivery. Even if it isn't exactly your style, it's still funny and respectable for how unique and unflagging it is in its consistency. With Martin & Orloff, the unofficial UCB movie, their humor translates to the screen with the same quality and integrity that makes them endearing to anyone with an open and progressive sense of humor.

Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh do an incredible job as the title characters. It is obvious from their comedic chemistry how long they've spent doing improv with each other in the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater. They are quite simply, masters of their craft. While obvious how low a budget this movie had, the director, Lawrence Blume does an Incredible job of stretching the budget and utilizing the higher profile celebrity cameos. David Cross, Andy Richter, Jeanine Garafolo, Rachel Dratch and Tina Fey are all used very well and in small doses so that they don't overshadow the main players. Andy Richter and David Cross's characters in particular, had me out of breath with laughter, as they are both charicatures of people we've probably all met and loathed.

I cannot stress enough how offbeat this particular brand of humor is, but there's nothing that would stop me from recommending this gem to anyone in order to extend its current one-week run at the Sunshine Cinemas in Downtown Manhattan. It truly deserves a larger audience. Go see this wherever you can and go in with an open mind. I guarantee you laugh at times without quite knowing why and you'll feel great about it. I got to see this movie free at an advanced screening and I would gladly (and will later this week) pay to see it again.