“Andrew Bujalski's Computer Chess took place at a programming convention; Results was a romcom about personal trainers; and here's another oddball comedy, this one set at a Hooters-inspired sports bar. As in those earlier films, Bujalski's jokes play with the codes and quirks of his chosen milieu. The waitresses have to tease their clientele, but can't get too overt. ‘There is an art to this,’ says Lisa, the harried manager, to a new hire. She's having a bad day at work, juggling duty and compassion; most of the film spans from her morning commute to the end of her shift. (Not all of it, though, as the jam-packed screenplay has some structural surprises in store.)
“Regina Hall, who plays Lisa, leads a crack ensemble. Haley Lu Richardson's there as the bar's resident ray of sunshine, and rapper Junglepussy makes her screen debut as a deadpan coworker with arms often akimbo. Both women deliver fine-tuned comic performances while clad in salmon pink crop tops. Along with the other girls of the double entendre title, they grin and bear the manifold indignities of working life. The rudeness of men is a major motif. They might not experience any epiphanies or liberation over the film's hour and a half run time, but they do have each other. In any stretch of strip mall, that counts for a lot.” ~ Alice Stoehr
No comments:
Post a Comment