Photo Courtesy of Planet Earth Entertainment Ringo
(William Sadler, right) shares with Skippy
(Joe Convery) the secret to picking up women in
"Skippy."
By David Holmberg
Daily Bruin Contributor
It is time for Hollywood to step aside because a new independent
film is about to unleash a story so poor and acting so bad that the
big executives in the industry will be wondering why they never
made it themselves.
This is not the innovativeness that marked such wonderful
independent films as Kevin Smith’s “Clerks,” but
the idiocy once thought to only prevail in mainstream films like
“Lucky Numbers.” The film is “Skippy,” a
new independent film by writer/producer/star Joe Convery and
directed by Denis Zervos.
The film follows the mishaps of naive New Jersey moron, Skippy
(Convery).
People often name their dogs Skippy, and it is hard not to
wonder if this film would have been remarkably better if the title
character was a canine.
Nevertheless, this rather conventional idiot finds himself in
love with a famous movie actress, Julia Fountain, played
dispassionately by Paget Brewster.
Skippy happens to learn that Fountain has broken up with her
long-time boyfriend and is holding auditions for a new beau to
escort her to the Academy Awards, which is just weeks away. So
Skippy takes off for Los Angeles to meet his destiny.
Once in Hollywood,he encounters the typical East meets West
situations. Shady employers, weight lifters and beautiful women are
apparently the only people living in Southern California, which may
be the only thing the movie gets right. He hooks up with roommate
and soon-to-be friend Larry (Timothy Patrick O’Brien), who
decides to help Skippy find a job and win Julia’s heart.
William Sadler, the only decent actor in the entire film, plays
Ringo, the questionable owner of a temp agency who helps them both
along the way.
Various subplots begin to develop, such as a stalker who is
trying to kill Fountain, and (gasp!) her ex-boyfriend may be
involved.
Ultimately, Skippy wins the contest and gets to be
Fountain’s date to the Oscars. It seems, however, that
Fountain is not all she claims to be and is just using him to
promote her career. Nevertheless, everything winds up quickly and
happily in the end, with only about half of it making sense. But it
is better for the film to conclude with only partial understanding
than to force the audience to waste any more time watching it.
Although promoting itself as an independent film,
“Skippy” is actually the antithesis of this usually
intriguing genre. The movie has the same quality of film and
editing that most major motion pictures do instead of the
underground feel of most independents.
It is also plagued by a terribly contrived script and uninspired
characters, which are typically more characteristic of mainstream
Hollywood films.
The character of Skippy is supposed to be an amalgamation of
Pee-Wee Herman and Forrest Gump with some “Dumb and
Dumber” tossed in. But he turns out to be much more similar
to Jar Jar Binks, as he makes every one of the film’s 82
minutes a painful experience.
His clothes are often referred to as “out of date,”
although it is difficult to think of a time when they were ever in
fashion. Skippy is also supposed to be a sort of fish out-of-water,
but whoever caught him should have tossed him back.
It is also seriously questionable as to whether any of the
actors in the film have any talent. While their roles are
stereotypes of stereotypes, none seem to even attempt to make their
lines believable. Walking around with spiked hair is not acting,
and neither is wearing outdated clothes. But in this film, a good
scowl is about the best demonstration of dramatic ability.
The film has only two redeeming qualities. First, it is shot in
and around Los Angeles, which makes watching the movie a freakish
tour through the city. Audiences can watch and say,
“I’ve been there!” but this excitement quickly
becomes a let-down when they realize that there is no great thrill
to having been to a location in a meaningless film.
Edie’s Diner in Marina Del Rey and several locales in
Beverly Hills are noteworthy for L.A. residents, but this will not
be too arousing for audiences anywhere else.
The only other pleasure, and the single universal appeal of the
movie, is William Sadler. He is probably the only recognizable face
in the film, although as a character actor Sadler is hard to place.
As a sleazy and poorly dressed employer for various borderline
legal activities, he is responsible for some of the only halfway
entertaining scenes in the film. But his role is so small that he
hardly redeems the movie.
“Skippy” is the lowest form of any film category,
whether it be independent, mainstream or just comedy in general. If
you are not going to see one film this year, let it be
“Skippy.”
FILM: “Skippy” is now playing at
the Mann Criterion located at 1313 Third Street Promenade in Santa
Monica. For more information call (310) 395-1599.