The Living Wake Review
By David Kempler
Dead on Arrival
When a film is made in 2007 and it doesn't get released until 2010, it's usually not a very good sign. While I don't know it to be true in this case, I have to suppose that the filmmakers had trouble finding a distributor. This doesn't automatically mean that "The Living Wake" is an abomination but, in this case, it is.
Sol Tryon directs and Mike O'Connell produces, writes and stars as K. Roth Binew, a self-proclaimed artist and genius who is planning his own living wake. Assisted by Mills Joaquin (Jesse Eisenberg), Binew sets out handing invitations to his upcoming wake. Mills ferries Binew by pedaling the two of them around in a bicycle-powered rickshaw.
Billed as a "dark comedy set in a timeless storybook universe", it is instead a series of badly-acted skits, each more annoying than the one that preceded it. Even if overacting is a conscious decision, being done in order to cement the message, it is still unpleasant to sit through. I can't think of even a handful of films that have succeeded with this tactic. Hell, I can't think of one at the moment, but I concede that it has worked in the past. Perhaps I'm just temporarily blinded to the possibility of it working because of my anger at having had to watch "The Living Wake".
The only film that I can compare it to is "Brewster McCloud" and I'm not quite sure why, other than that one made me as unhappy the first time I saw it as this one did. I also understand that "Brewster McCloud" was a Robert Altman production that some very much liked, so perhaps some of you will like this one, too.
If I was wealthy enough I would make you an offer that I first saw on a "Little Rascals" episode. I'd set up a screening where you would be able to "pay as you exit" on the condition that you felt it was worth it. Sadly, I am not capable of providing that service to any of you, so if you think you might enjoy it, go ahead and plop your cash down, but don't blame me for having encouraged you.
