givens_dv

This is a classic from prolific Disney director Robert Stevenson. Dean Jones and Peter Ustinov are hilarious together and the script seems to have more in common with a witty Moliere-era French farce than the usual live-action Disney fare. By incorporating a curmudgeonly yet lovable ghost into the average world, Stevenson once again concocts his special blend of myth, magic and comic reality as established in 'Mary Poppins' and 'Darby O'Gill.'

The reason I wanted to watch this film to begin with was to see Amber Benson, who plays Tara on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Her performance on that show is very charming and I wanted to see what other kind of characters she could play. After only a couple of minutes of "Deadtime," though, it became apparent that there was more than one reason to enjoy this short film.

With only a simple story about a boy going for a robbery while his girlfriend waits in the car, the film manages to find the kind of humor, tension, and subtly nuance character development seldom seen in major studio releases. Director James Brett displays a good eye for hip, low-key comedy through effective editing and timing.

Also funny are the various small-town characters, particularly the police officer who harasses the girlfriend (Benson) as she waits impatiently for her boyfriend to come back from his heist. At the end I was not only impressed by Amber Benson's wonderful performance as a lovable yet not-so-bright young woman who decides she's spent enough time being abused and belittled by her lunatic boyfriend, but also by the director's skill in displaying this character without too much saccharine pathos.