A Bird in the Bush

This is, hands down, one of the best productions from Wild Dogs, ever! Off-beat, quirky, and highly successful mix of humor, romance, action and adventure in this one, with a lean running time, to boot. Really, I was just gob-smacked by the film, and the way it always (ok, mostly) dodged the inevitable genre trappings with something unexpected or at least differently spun. My wife also tuned in, and we both laughed our asses off. If I was to be nit- picky, there were some parts that seemed to stretch out needlessly, or some that seemed undercooked, but when the overall package is this good, one can be generous. Mike Fredianelli, in his best performance yet, does a superb nebbish/nerdy character, and gets paired up with a sexy blonde who often keeps pace with his spot-on act. They also have a palpable chemistry between them, an essential ingredient which makes the central relationship seem credible and genuine (all this, without any gratuitous nudity or sex). The 2 detectives are also well-performed by the actors, and then there is that 'flatulent hobo', once again a short but sweet role for Aaron Steelydanextra , whose later 'trampling' scene is one of the hilarious highlights of the film. However, the one scene that had my sides splitting was the 'Vietnamese orphan' bit. My God! And Mr. Nose looked like a dead ringer for the Dalai Lama in that get-up. Sheer comedy genius. The film is peppered with many precise and perfectly timed comic moments, perhaps thrice as many as the average Hollywood 'comedy' (Sure enough, the next day I tried watching Meet The Spartans, only to turn it off after 15 minutes. Too bad more people have seen this turd-fest than have been lucky enough to witness Mike's home-grown effort, which shows 'em all how it's done. Hell, the outtakes from Mike's film were more enjoyable than those 15 minutes of MTS…).

Speaking of which, the missus was amazed when she realized I wasn't watching a mainstream film, but a film made by AND starring my friend Mike from San Jose! She hadn't recognized him, and was incredulous when she found out. The next evening, her cousin came over, and he was made to see this film on her insistence. More guffaws, more laughter, and more amazement followed. Mike, you've got one more admirer on your list now. And we intend to show this film around some more.

Kudos to all involved, even to the guy playing Daddy Don Guido, who didn't seem to be all there. Excellent production values also, considering the budget (or lack thereof). Oh, and this is probably the first WD film that doesn't warrant subtitles (nice clear audio). The bar has been raised yet again by WD, and it ain't gonna be easy topping it. But that don't mean you shouldn't try. As the guy says: "Think positive, man!"

Throughout his impressive filmography, Michael Fredianelli has always been willing to mix-and-match genres within individual features, but I cannot recall "romantic comedy" ever really being at the forefront like it was in A Bird in the Bush. The story, about the awkward relationship of a neurotic loser (and titular "bird," destined for capture or companionship, or perhaps both) and an unbalanced blond (Jana Ireton, in a strong performance) whose serendipitous pairing leads them from an innocuous husband-and-wife ruse (gone wrong in the most amusing of ways) all the way to being on the run from low-rent mafia killers with a crime witness in tow, is somewhat reminiscent of True Romance, only with a deeper level of characterization in the leads and more slapstick, un-pc humor, and oddball antics. Even the mob boss, Daddy Don Guido (delightfully caricatured by Ronald Kaplan), seems to be channeling a less homosexual version of Saul Rubinek's angry persona from that Tony Scott flick. Aaron Stielstra's brief role as the Flatulent Hobo (a powerful part he seemed born to play) would leave anyone in stitches, including his dummy double, who suffers reckless abuse in several hilariously unexpected scenes (one of which being an expectedly rousing car chase). It was also nice to see Michael Nosé (among other Wild Dogs regulars) back in action, especially in one inspired bit where he was trying to pass himself off as a Vietnamese orphan.

A Bird in the Bush is not the kind of film I typically seek out but it goes in so many quirky directions -be it the dramatic exchange between Babs, her hateful mother and enabling father or glass-pane carriers avoiding disaster during the aforementioned chase sequence only to unluckily slip on a shiny penny- that it's hard not to be thoroughly entertained by it.

The DVD includes a few good trailers and some funny outtakes, plus a bonus short in the form of a revealing "hobo" documentary. Let's just say that there are some strange human breeds out West there. Sadly, the short is all too short; I can definitely see a full-length Fredianelli doc on this profound subject matter striking it big with fans and hoopties alike.

Written, produced, edited, directed, and starring Michael Fredianelli; A Bird in the Bush is a no-budget comedy/romance/action hybrid that despite various imperfections and extreme budget restraints works remarkably well for much of it's 102-minute running time. Having seen two movies directed by Fredianelli (the other being "The Minstrel Killer), it's clear that he's a capable director (and editor) even with such little to work with and here, he has miraculously fashioned a funny, entertaining film. With a bigger budget, a better camera, and some script polishing; this would have been quite something. As it is now, it's still quite good.

Grant Oldman (Fredianelli) is an out-of-work college professor and bird expert, desperately searching for a job. Barbra "Babs" Bridges (Jana Ireton) is a newly minted car thief, desperately trying to acquire some cash. After hitting Grant with her stolen car, he convinces her to pose as his wife for a dinner interview he has later that night. Despite her own problems, she obliges him. Beginning with the interview, a series of misadventures lead the two to be running from both the F.B.I. and the mob due to the key witness in a mob boss' trial (cinematographer Michael Nosé) being in the trunk of Babs' stolen car.

So, what works about it? Fredianelli and Ireton have a nice rapport together, which I credit with keeping the entire film afloat. I actually liked these two characters and the way their relationship developed so much that I would have almost preferred a more straight-forward narrative that didn't introduce mobsters halfway through. With that said, the film does succeed on its own terms rather than mine. The movie is genuinely funny, with low-brow, politically incorrect humor that will go anywhere for a laugh and yet, even at it's most forced, usually succeeds admirably. When two children confront Grant and Babs, one of the children, referring to his brother next to him, says "When our dad hits us, Roth hits back." Few stereotypes escape this film untouched, but even when Babs' father tells Grant "John Wayne was a fa--ot" and Nosé dresses up as a gorilla it somehow works.

It's actually more quirky, more inventive, and much better than a lot of comedies we see coming out of Hollywood. How is it that Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer are able to get high budgets to make their "comedies" yet Fredianelli has to make his films on significantly less than a teacher's yearly salary? Even with the occasional amateurish acting/dialogue delivery and various contrivances in the script, this movie still boasts better acting while being legitimately funnier than anything those two have ever made.

As a director, Fredianelli handles the action and comedic material splendidly. There's a car chase sequence that's actually really impressive considering everyone involved was likely using their own cars and had to (essentially) obey traffic laws. Fredianelli has not only impressed me as a director but as an actor, showing a knack for comedic timing and physical comedy. Additionally, it's a complete departure from his role in The Minstrel Killer, both physically and otherwise showing substantial range. Many of the funniest moments in the film come from the witty, rapid-fire banter between characters and the ending, although extremely sappy, is perfect and one of the best parts of the film. Even Nosé's is impressive considering he clearly had little control over the composition of the shots (lighting, consistency, etc.).

It's imperfections are not due to budgetary constraints. The screenplay is uneven and some scenes are forced and unnecessary (I seem to be one of the few viewers that didn't enjoy the flatulent hobo). Other times, the dialogue sounds too "written" and not just because of the poor delivery by some of Fredianelli's non-actors. It does hide its intentions to go over-the-top, but the humor still seems contrived at times. Finally, the characterization of Babs is all over the place. Her character having a psychological disorder does not excuse the fact that she initially appears to Grant and remains with him not because logic dictates her to, but because the plot needs her to.

It's a sad statement about Hollywood when an unknown director with no stars and no budget can produce a better comedy than "Little Fockers," but that's exactly what Fredianelli has done here. A Bird in the Bush is a solid movie despite it's shortcomings and is a triumph of creativity, considering it's success against all the odds of it even being watchable. I don't know anyone who could make a coherent, entertaining, and mostly successful film with the few available means that Fredianelli has made work for him. With that said, if he ever reaches the big leagues, he could polish this script, remake it, and probably have a hit on his hands...It's truly that good.

GRADE: B

Ultra-low budget doesn't really hinder this crack Action-RomCom (?) from delivering plenty of old-fashioned hilarious goods. While the acting is decidedly uneven, ranging from high school kids who had to have been friends / siblings of the director to Shakespeare quality (the Frank Oz-ish mob boss guy is great), the film maintains a clear purpose and the right tone throughout.

Certainly the main thing that this film needed was some lighting - as the Peter Hyams natural-light look doesn't help in the long stretches of very dim and off-white balanced interior shots (meaning there's a pervasive orange hue to everything). Also, a good chunk of dialog in one scene is quite obviously out-of-sync. This sort of thing is just enough to make in inaccessible to the average discriminating viewer. Granted, a person like me understands these are probably due to budget constraints and a very rushed production scale (I heard the thing was made top-to-bottom in less than 2 months!), but that doesn't help an Indie film find an audience and this flick will likely vanish into obscuro-Indie hell like the rest of them.

However, what's amazing about the film is that it really delivers an interesting story and manages to gather up steam and seem fresh when it's of a totally done-to-death genre... and for no money to boot! This is at odds with most of his other "films", which usually boil down to the star wandering around shooting people. Supposedly on this one the director/star/producer/editor/keygrip/bestboy Fredianelli got in a lot of hot water with the local authorities for shooting without permits and insurance... and it's amazing what he (and some of the actors, anyway) accomplish with so little. Decidedly unprofessional but uncomfortably close, this film could very well prime the director for a go at the Festival circuit if he continues to improve upon his formula.

A departure from the romantic comedy genre these days means either a comedy packed full of bottomburps and boobies, or, worse, a nauseating, sentimental "relationship" comedy, with obligatory bottomburps, graphic sex, etc. included to entice wary male viewers. Something akin to the Judd Apatow excretion "Knocked Up" fulfills the latter category. Here, Director Michael Fredianelli achieves a proper balance between vulgarity and laughs, but also includes plenty of solid action and even violence to punctuate this story about a hopeless ornithologist and his sexy, bipolar companion as they flee gangsters and psychotic U.S. Marshals--one of whom goes by the name of Terry.

The movie's opening benefits from some excellent pacing, great soundtrack music (including a brilliant section of Herbie Hancock's "Chameleon"), nicely exposed photography, lots of brisk characterization--with Grant Oldman's failed job interview being a highlight--and audio that captures the subtle and not so subtle comedic moments. A surprising yet tragic encounter with a hobo only adds to the overall surprises the movie has to offer in its shifts in tone. Fredianelli is not afraid to explore themes of loneliness and mental illness amidst all the on screen lunacy, but actor Aaron Stielstra physically embodies substance-abuse and bewilderment perfectly.

Grant meets his reluctant partner-in-madcap-escapades, Babs, and the following hilarious visit with her dysfunctional family presents an even broader spectacle of humor vrs. drama. Babs's soft-spoken, homophobic father, who mutters things like, "John Wayne was a f-ggot." delivers a performance as chilling as it is sympathetic. Soon after, the chases begin. The subplot involving a government witness testifying against mobsters, unfortunately, carries little tension despite its importance to the story, but it does enable a supremely chaotic car chase that is a marvel of speed and gags, one involving a pane of glass that is highly creative. The numerous sound cues ("Invasion U.S.A."?) only add to the suspense, as well. Too bad the over-exposure in many of the movie's exterior shots extends from here on to the end. This also accompanies some more dramatic stretches that drain the movie of its original stamina.

One extended fight scene features impressive choreography and nice, fat sound design, while another subplot featuring a bumbling, Nick Nolte-resembling henchman with a penchant for slipping on bars of soap diverts from some of the unwelcome sentimentality starting to creep into the movie. The Nick Nolte-resembling henchman's line of "Barbara Streisand...I hate that b-tch! Way too Jewish!" had the dollar theater audience I saw the movie with rolling in the sticky aisles.

Speaking of filth, there's plenty of lurid color and undesirable elements to recommend the movie as well: several corned-beef-and-malt-liquor-consuming drifter types shine in their motel-room cameo, as does a fine-ass black prostitute. A morbid mob boss puppet sequence involving a corpse had the grindhouse in hysterics, as did the graphic squashing of a hobo beneath two speeding vehicles. Some inappropriate inserts from the Ding Dong Hellon epic, "A Decision To Choose To Ask Why" on a cheap t.v. created an interesting subtext to an aborted sex scene. Director Fredianelli even felt compelled to ape the great directors of Italian poliziotteschi by plundering chase footage from his earlier film, "Pale Blue Balloons", not unlike a young Unberto Lenzi. Also commendable is the amount of time the movie's stars spend prostrate on disgusting cheap motel-room floors, or wrapped up in unhygienic bed-spreads. I hope the movie was insured for scabies.

As the video exposure and sound quality tend to fluctuate during the movie's more diluted last 25 minutes, so do the more annoying performances--most of them having been regimented to smaller scenes earlier. The movie's mob boss is so over-the-top and vocally strangulated, it's uncomfortable to even contemplate his diaphragm amid all the spasmic line deliveries. Luckily, the movie's other heavies and cowardly underlings fill their shoes gracefully. The movie's romantic leads are both attractive and surprisingly good in their emoting between comedy and drama, with the bipolar subtext to Babs's character being burden enough without the movie's final scene demanding that both characters cry like absent truants from "The Breakfast Club". The movie's flimsy allegiance between Grant and Babs makes it hard for Michael Nose, as the government witness, to do much but complain, then flee, then don a gorilla suit, repeat ad infinitum. His performance as a Vietnam orphan-canine is one of the funniest moments in the movie, though. Movie's weepy last line, unfortunately, had many drunken patrons in the audience throwing bottles and cans at the screen, but there were more people staggering out of theater with tears in their eyes as well. Whether these were shed out disappointment that the theater management was ejecting the patrons after an 8 hour movie marathon is impossible to determine. A promised double-feature of a Ding Dong Hellon film and Aaron Stielstra's "Less Human Than Human" was cancelled only hours before.

Movie has exactly 178 potato sacks in its action sequences, be they involving gunplay, fight choreography or merely elderly parents being abused. I recommend Fredianelli bring up the volume on most of them, as they were sadly understated. Overall, a comedy like this, with so many expectations for itself, fulfills plenty. Myself and one ghetto audience in Cortez Heights, AZ. ate up Fredianelli's work, with few complaints. Though there were were several shrieks and bottomburps.