Asian-American led raunchy buddy comedy seems to take a cue from the HANGOVER movies and centers around BFFs Marc (Boynton Paek) and Mike (Michael Nosé) as they head to Vegas to get "cray cray" ahead of Marc's impending wedding. Paek is hilarious as Marc and delivers what is arguably one of his best performances as a whacky character who apparently isn't just a dude who hasn't outgrown his frat boy "bro" phase, but actually speaks ebonics throughout the entire movie. Paek steals the show and is laugh out loud funny just about every time he opens his mouth. Meanwhile, Michael Nosé performs solid as the straight man (a la the Porky Pig to Paek's Daffy Duck) and acts as the perfect foil. During the first act in particular, it's really fun watching the two leads do crazy things and get into trouble while director Michael Fredianelli clearly has fun capturing it all in exploitive bursts of jump cuts and slow-motion. Meanwhile, the movie cleverly ties an initially unrelated set of characters into the fray (a local big wig, his adult children, and a pair of crazy punk rockers) and upping the ante while Marc and Mike go about their original goal of recouping their Vegas losses.
THE LONG STREAK is a solid comedy with its share of fun moments, slick camerawork, and some spiffy locations. The performances as a whole are certainly worth a shoutout with only one character's monologue (delivered like a scene in Tommy Wiseau's THE ROOM) worth singling out as a particular weak point. When it comes down to it, the biggest flaws are related to plotting and pacing issues. Much of the earlier portion of the movie is appropriately wild and crazy, but for a Wild Dogs Productions comedy, the movie's second half seems almost sedate in comparison (despite some really great moments). While still making for a fun ride, it's tough not to feel a little disappointed when one major plot point gets resolved in a quick and anti-climactic manner or a big reveal that's supposed to be shocking doesn't really hold the weight the characters in the movie see it to (both within the context of the movie and the real life era we're living in). These flaws aside, the LONG STREAK comes well recommended. You'll no doubt get your fill of laughter and smiles from this fun indie comedy.
