The Procession: [rating:4/5]
Lily Tomlin and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) lead us on a misguided procession of laughs in “The Procession.” The duo star as a mother and son who are roped into attending a funeral that neither is very invested in. As they try to sneak out to lunch they get caught in the procession to the burial. Tomlin chastises her son for not staying in touch with the family (his sister Julie is listed under Lisa in his phone because he already had a Julie in his contacts) until a red light separates them from the cars leading the way to the cemetery. With more attendees following behind them, they are forced to improvise a way to a burial that neither of them knows where it is being held. Amidst the quick turns and phone stumbling, the audience falls into a hysterical turn of events.
While there is not a ton of depth to either the characters or the story, “The Procession” is a fun short that holds its own in its action and funny banter alone. The audience cringes with each sticky situation the duo finds themselves in and laughs their way to the conclusion.
“A BIG Love Story” [rating: 3.5/5]
Though not the most refined film of the film festival, “A BIG Love Story” puts forth a very likable lead in a very human tale of self-improvement and the quest for love. The acting seems rough at times and the jokes are a bit hit-or-miss, but there is a lot of heart on display in the film that really grounds the audience in an overall enjoyable experience.
Seven years after an ACL tear ends Sam’s (Robbie Kaller) promising college football career, he finds his life in a rut and his weight tipping the scales at 413 pounds. After constant chastising from his roommate Miles (Tommy Snider) and a bet made between his poker buddies, Sam vows the shed the weight. In his pursuit for self-improvement, Sam finds a trainer and new crush in Cassie (Jillian Leigh). Cassie smokes cigarettes and reads Nietzsche and is lost in the cycle of off-again-on-again with a poet who writes about love through geometric metaphor and refuses to pay for his half of anything. Over the course of eight weeks, Sam journeys to find the love of a woman and of himself as he tries to find his place in a world where he feels invisible.
Lead actor Robbie Kaller delivers a very able performance as the hapless Sam. Though his techniques don’t feel refined throughout the film, Kaller allows enough of his warm smile and presence to command the screen. While he pours sweat during his resistance band workouts and moons over the lovely Cassie, Kaller creates a lovable teddy bear for the audience to latch on to. But Kaller is also able to pull out the darkness in Sam. His drunken scenes throughout the film are equally hilarious and uncomfortable for the audience as we watch Sam spiral during the film’s climax. In the end, Kaller creates a dynamic protagonist that anchors this often, uneven film.
Another notable performance comes from Tommy Snider. Miles heads down a similarly life-changing path when he discovers that his girlfriend LaShawna (Constance Reese) is pregnant. Fearing his abilities as a father, Miles attempts to run from his problems even so far as bringing up the dreaded “A” word. Snider is able to carry the roles of funny side-kick and existential man in crisis adeptly enough. His sense of humor is a bit raw and out of place at times, but he’s likable as is most of the cast and makes you care about his journey.
There were some elements that felt disjointed. A few animation sequences illustrating women’s daddy issues and Cassie’s persistence on staying with a sad caricature of a man instead of falling for the cuddly Sam, but ultimately the story finds its way home to a satisfying conclusion at the end of its eight-week timeline. There is potential for more in “A BIG Love Story,” but the end result seems earned and genuine.
