WATCH THE FILM HERE
First, the Recap:
The one night stand. Why does it seem, overall, that nothing truly good ever comes from one? Occurring in moments ranging from drunken states to rebound-born “need”, the aftermath tends to be on the more upsetting side of consequence than positive. Such is the situation one young woman, Emily (Katie Vincent), finds herself confronting at a local eatery, face to face with the other half of the event, Mark (Taso Mikroulis). There is, of course, the minor complication brought to bear from the unplanned, ill-advised dalliance–Emily’s announcement she is pregnant.
Per the customary reaction to the circumstance and it’s accompanying revelation, Mark whole-heartedly begins to fall into every possible hole he can dig, first completely trying to avoid the subject entirely, then going through a monumental amount of feigning ignorance, followed by absolute denial anything Emily is saying is true or applies to him. On the opposite end of things, Emily’s building anger and dumbfounded frustration at Mark’s callous, indifferent attitudes causes her to ascertain whether this man could even be a father to the unborn child. The question remains–can Mark change Emily’s mind and find responsibility?
Next, my Mind:
Writer/director/producer/editor Usher Morgan’s 13-minute short film effort most certainly delivers a copious amount of laughs and East Coast attitude in his well shot ode to the ramifications of a not so well thought out, spur of the moment decision made by it’s lead characters. While the random bursts of profanity-laden dialogue are never this reviewer’s preference, the overall writing here is brilliant, with plenty of “typical guy” fodder to play with for Mark’s clueless lug, and ample exasperation-fueled retorts for Emily to spout back at him. The simple, single-setting arrangement here allows the viewer to remain undisturbed and undistracted while taking in the consistently humorous build-up to a finale that will please.
Facial expressions, body language, and solid acting chops define the day for both Vincent and Mikroulis throughout the film. Vincent’s turn as Emily is outstanding, providing us with a character who so smoothly and blatantly transitions between anger, regret, hard realities, indignation, and disappointment towards Mark as she fights to make him fully understand the situation at hand. Equally fantastic is Mikroulis as Mark, playing him as a unadulterated fool who finds himself stuck in an unwanted, undesired state of affairs, and who falls back on every possible clichéd answer, excuse, and deflection he can to try and worm his way out. All of this is so perfectly executed by the actors, and their delivery is hilarious and endearing.
In total, and despite the aforementioned bouts with harsh language present in the narrative, “Prego” presents a hysterically amusing look at the result of choice, the inability at times for us as human beings to deal with tough decisions, and the final outcomes we may or may not desire in response to alternatives presented.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
Hahahahaha!! Hilarious!! Thanks for the review!!