WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Wanna get away? If we reach a certain stage in life where our literal place of residing has become overly tedious and taxing, is it not natural to seek out a new location to call home? And, in doing so, are not things supposed to improve, be more palatable, in returning to normal? While it might be the case for most, roommates Dan (Daniel Wolfe) and Pete (Michael Ferrell) just might find this inapplicable to their circumstances as they arrive in Brooklyn, ideally to evade the ever-escalating cost of living in Manhattan. With Dan’s libido in constant overdrive, much to the more conservative and nerdier Pete’s annoyance, they quickly realize the new neighborhood isn’t quite as conventional as anticipated.
Shaking off their initial concerns, Dan finally convinces Pete to head out and check in with the local nightlife and, of course, find chicks. The night takes a turn for the weird, however, though both men manage to connect with women via Pete meeting the somewhat shy, bubbly Adelaide (Katie Hannigan) and Dan the more free-spirited partier Denise (Rin Olsson). Even as the four begin to hang out more, it starts to become apparent the ladies might not exactly be your usual relationship material. Still, as Pete and Dan strive to maintain their associations, Dan takes things too far and tries to become involved in something he shouldn’t have witnessed. Soon, it’s a showdown with the supernatural, with the consequences possibly more than either man can handle.
Next, my Mind:
Lions, tigers, bears–and perhaps a few witches, ghosts, and monsters from the deep thrown in–oh my! It’s all on display along with some zany, off-the-wall humor plus an overall ode to the wonderful world of B-horror movies in co-writer/director/producer/editor Eugene Lehnert’s 30-minute indie short film effort. Capitalizing fully on intentional campiness, over-the-top acting, effective use of hammy animated/live action/CGI visual presentation, and a delightfully amusing, tongue-in-cheek narrative, the film bounces along on the spring of its own silliness throughout, even providing us with a neat little “wink-wink, nod-nod” to a certain “who you gonna call?” team at the film’s outset, and never even attempting to treat anything seriously, hence lending itself totally to the laughs and eye-rolls it all induces. There’s crude humor present, mainly thanks to Dan specifically, but nothing that causes distraction from the rest of the craziness that focuses on everything from overt fascination with death, vengeful curses, power grabs, raging egos, who to feed on, true love, and the price paid for meddling in other’s affairs, all played for guffaws and giggles, of course. It’s a throwback to 80’s-style comedic horror, and it’s pulled off here with panache.
As with any comedy, it’s all about the writing and the cast’s ability to have the kind of timing in delivering said dialogue to maximize the intended absurdity, and for this reviewer, the ensemble present here does just that. Wolfe’s Dan and Ferrell’s Pete are the perfect study in, really, jocular incompatibility, given the wild, cocky, overly randy demeanor and general attitude Dan exudes, to his ultimate regret (nasty curse upon you, anyone?) vs. the mild-mannered, even-tempered, caring and, albeit, blatantly nerdier quirks that Pete brings across. Yet, it is these obvious differences that make the characters play off each other so well given the total insanity of the situation they become immersed in, and watching Wolfe and Ferrell navigate all of this is rib-tickling fun. Likewise, we get another study in opposites through Hannigan’s ridiculously cute, innocently endearing, mild-mannered, playfully timid Adelaide, whose only real “question mark” is a strangely disturbing yet still amusing fascination with death vs. Olsson’s seductively beautiful, very forward, no-nonsense, and quite menacing Denise, whom everyone involved here finds out in fresh ways can be one unpleasant witch–literally–and whose own agenda goes far beyond what her friends anticipate.
The boys, of course, get to discover all of this the hard way, and their fates are anyone’s guess until the devilishly funny finale when all is revealed. Primary supporting turns arrive here in the form of Devin Sanchez and Julia Johns as Judy and Vanessa, fellow members of Denise’s coven, who, like so many underlings of the Queen Bee, tend to either loathe or idolize whatever she does. It’s a wonderful little play on the concept of cliques, another classic component of many an 80’s teen flick. A myriad of other supporting turns are present from a huge cast of actors, all making background appearances throughout. In total, outside of a scattered few cruder moments I personally didn’t prefer, “The Outer Boroughs” is a very worthy bit of supernaturally-based, exaggerated, giddy, indie film fun that makes for a neat little escape from reality for a half hour and as comedy should do, reminds us perhaps we shouldn’t take everything so seriously all the time—and maybe think twice about moving outside Manhattan city limits in NYC.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
