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"Air" Delivers the Goods

In spite of the surface similarities and marketing spin, "Next Day Air" is not screwball drug comedy in the vein of "Half Baked" and "Pineapple Express". While the plot does center around drugs – in this case a shipment of cocaine that is delivered to the wrong address – this is not an instance where goofball characters pratfall their way through a keystone cops routine. Instead, it is a subtle character study cleverly hidden under a skim coat of dark comedy.

The ensemble cast, headed by Donald Faison ("Scrubs"), Mike Epps ("All About the Benjamins"), Wood Harris ("The Wire"), and character actor Cisco Reyes, shines across the board, seeming comfortable and believable in their roles, with particular mention needing to go to Epps and Harris as the pair of career petty criminals, Brody and Guch, who mistakenly receive the illicit goods. The relationship between these two as they discuss past mistakes, ponder the value of family relationships, and make plans to cash in on their good fortune shifts constantly from uneasy partnership, to brother, to old married couple, never getting stuck in one place for too long. The best moments in the movie, though, are the explorations of the affect that the criminal lifestyle has on each character's primary relationship (be it a friend, a lover, or a partner). The sudden moments of doubt and mistrust quietly speak volumes about the psychological toll of a life spent lurking in the shadows.

For screenwriter Blair Cobbs this is certainly a strong first effort. Evocative of early Tarantino scripts (particularly "True Romance"), he leaves the story simple and spends his time turning the microscope on his characters. His dialogue doesn't reach the lyricism of vintage Tarantino but it is sharp and the character differentiation is strong. The constant surface level of humor (and there is plenty) is appropriate to the reactions of people under tension and is used to develop a better understanding of the characters, rather than at the expense of them. The major exception would be the small role of Eric, played by Mos Def. It's simple comic relief which adds little and feels tacked-on. Donald Faison's part as the shipping company employee who mis-delivers the package is also a hair sillier than it could be, but, as fans of "Scrubs" know, Faison plays hapless so well that it's a fault that's easy to overlook.

Music video director Benny Boom, in his feature film debut, shows a deft handling of the camera, keeping things sailing along at just the right pace. Limited largely to tight indoor locations he seems in his element, allowing words and deeds to take center stage and wisely avoiding (with a few exceptions) any devices or ambitious tricks that might detract from a scene. His inexperience shows a little during the climactic scene, which was a bit messy but not terribly so.

It may be a mixed blessing for "Next Day Air" that it has been marketed as a straight comedy. While it will probably result in higher ticket sales, the inaccurate expectations may stop people from appreciating its depth and complexity, and that would be a shame.