I thought this would be a typical sports comedy and wasn't sure I'd like it, but I picked it up on Amazon anyway and I'm glad I took a chance on it. I am a big fan of Shannon Brown and Heather Matarazzo, so I decided to give it a whirl. It was not at all what I expected.
The story centers around a football player, Bobby Davis, who appears to have it all. At first it seems the story is leading down a path we've seen before with beautiful women fawning over a very attractive pro athlete who is thinking about settling down and marrying one lucky woman, but then, writer Kurt Weichert takes the audience in a completely different and unexpected direction. I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say that Weichert does a fantastic job of putting some interesting and surprising twists and turns on what would be an otherwise predictable line that comedies like these tend to take. Just brilliant writing, the dialogue and development of these wild characters is spot on.
The cast is fabulous! Once again, Shannon Brown certainly earns lead status. This time as the cocky and brash football player, Bobby Davis, who goes through an unbelievable roller coaster of an arch. Brown somehow finds the balance of making you feel jealous of him and then (practically in the next breath) feeling sorry for him. His timing is razor sharp, his facial expressions and mannerisms keep you engaged throughout. I've seen quite of few of Brown's films, mostly dramatic, but he continues to showcase his range as a force regardless of the genre. It's no surprise he won so many awards for this performance.
Heather Matarazzo is wonderful as Brown's high maintenance sister. Their brother/sister dynamic is the reason the term sibling rivalry was created. Matarazzo is so underrated, a true talent in every sense of the term. She forces you to give your full attention every time she appears on the screen. No matter the role you just can't help but buy what she's selling. The back and forth between Matarazzo and Brown is laugh out loud hilarious, their scenes together are easily the best parts of the movie.
The rest of the cast is strong as well, I was pleasantly surprised to see "Paulie" from Rocky, his scenes are very entertaining. Michael Buscemi has a really funny cameo as well. This is a great comedy, very well written with great pace and timing. I'm not surprised at all that it won so many awards. Definitely worth checking out!
