Made in Delaware, "In 200 Characters... Or Less" is probably the best independent romantic comedy of 2010.
Jeffrey Bader stars as Michael, a soap opera writer who actually hates soap operas. He's had trouble dating since he got out of a relationship, so he decides to create a profile on Chemmatch, a fictionalized version of Chemistry.com and Match.com.
Told in chapters like a Tarantino film, only nowhere near as violent, the first chapter, which is faster paced and intentionally confusing, is meant to show how much of a mess Michael's life is. It's immediately made apparent that this guy is lonely.
Director Mauro Giuffrida crafts a brilliant shot of Michael walking from color into a black-and-white scene. It perfectly captures Michael's loneliness and his sense of loss. It also shows that Giuffrida has a great visual sense and a keen eye. One shot that's through a clock was particularly striking. It was a simple shot, yet clever and inventive.
The second chapter of the movie has Michael getting sent on dates with different girls from the Chemmatch website. This is probably the most hilarious part of the whole piece. Michael gets thrown into awkward situations with these girls and the way Bader handles each scene is very realistic and endearing. He's definitely one of the most charming, if simply the nicest, persons I've seen on screen in a long while. Bader does a great job here.
Gordon Del Giorno plays Simon, Michael's friend and co-worker. Simon is the opposite of Michael. He's very confident. Some might say cocky. Giuffrida calls him cool in his own way. He's lucky with women, perhaps a horn-dog, as he seems to be more about lust than love. Giorno practically steals every scene he's in and pulls in a lot of the movie's bigger and more outrageous laughs.
Manuela Farina who plays Sara is a refreshing surprise. I would recommend going to the theater, if only to see her on the big screen. She's one of those cinematic gifts.
