Townies Movie Review

Townies is a comedy about life's choices -- and at its most absurd it can be a genuinely funny film. The movie is about Jake (Tim Bensch), who works a slave-like pizza place job (oddly, he's alternately seen at the counter and on delivery runs). When he gets a chance to take a high-profile internship, he jumps at the chance, but things quickly sour, leaving him to choose whether to return to his slacker life or stick with the suits. Endless subplots -- a love story with an older woman (I think -- maybe she's just an older actress), even bigger loser friends, a jail sentence for petty theft, and something about a porn movie -- take the film on a series of alternate story lines, with hit and miss results.

As is common with indie cinema, there's a lot to like (and dislike) here. Writer/director Brett Bagenstose's dialogue is frequently stilted and many of the actors are rank amateurs, but several of the performances hint at real talent, especially in the realm of physical comedy. Some of the movie's running gags are also absurd to the point where you have to laugh. And then there's the digital video production, which, as usual, is difficult to watch for an extended period of time. The sound isn't much better, and the film's message (ambition: bad, jail: good) is beyond inane.

In a nutshell, you've seen this movie before (offices are places for corporate rubes!), and Townies doesn't add much to the "go with your heart" message that's become a staple of moviedom. Check it out if you ever worked in a pizza shop.

Town car.