WATCH THE FILM HERE
First, the Recap:
Who doesn’t love food??? Delectable cuisines, tasty treats, enormous entrées, culinary delights! All to be consumed for our needed sustenance, even if we also manage to sneak in the occasional (Ok, FINE! Daily!!) sweet or two along the way. Yes, food can be used to satisfy many needs– emotional comfort, a cure for your hunger, a blessing for those less fortunate, projectile-based weaponry—hey, wait a sec!! Take for instance a wife, Sandra (Audrey Noone), who stews over the fact that her husband, Thomas (Sean McPherson), simply cannot seem to get a clue as to what he has done to make her so overtly vexed, irritated, and flat-out exasperated. Even asking him straight-up warrants an unacceptable response.
Pushed to the breaking point, Sandra proceeds to do what any person would do in her shoes—opens the fridge and begins to sporadically, yet with great accuracy and malicious intent, hurl random comestibles Thomas’ direction. Escalating from the more pleasant, softer foodstuffs to bone-laden chicken bombs, Thomas weathers a storm of eatables—until they both succumb to that most natural of post-fight options—complete with whipped cream. Knowing they might need help with Sandra’s proclivity to utilize edibles to get what she wants instead of expressing love via verbal communication, the pair visit a psychiatrist (Jeanne Lohnes) who ultimately counsels the couple on the fact that food is love. But one then wonders, after being somewhat the victim before, what will happen when Thomas catches on?
Next, my Mind:
Director Yvonne LaBarge brings the wonderfully whimsical, offbeat, and downright mischievous “What The Doctor Ordered” to life through the clever writing and style of Producer/Writer/Lead Actress Audrey Noone, whose wry sense of humor is on full display here, just like her previous short film effort, “A Warming Trend“. Utilizing simple kitchen and office settings to more greatly emphasize the characters and their hilariously delicious plight, this is five and a half minutes well worth investing. As with any comedic material, it is all about timing in order to ensure the intended humor has the most impact on the viewer, and this was quite honestly exceptionally well-done execution, with the utilization of not only the physical food fights, but witty facial expression as well.
McPherson is quite the soldier here as Thomas, showcasing the fact that he can take a hit–actually, several hits–from flying snacks to main courses to desserts all while still initially attempting to ascertain what the problem was in the first place. But let’s just say he’s a quick study, and McPherson had to relish playing the part. Lohnes is also solid as the couple’s shrink, politely and succinctly providing her clinical advice while trying not to laugh to be sure at this outrageous pair’s flavorful situation. But the film truly belongs to Noone, whose absolutely hysterical, purposefully exaggerated mannerisms and physical comedy just dominate the viewers attention. The slyly seductive and alluring glances are a riot and the whole “cinnamon buns” monologue is a complete stitch, as is the far less graphic and much more funny ode to “9 1/2 Weeks”.
Overall, this is another example of why independent cinema needs to be heeded, as “What The Doctor Ordered” delivers a palatable, appetizing, and completely divine yuk that will stay with you like the warmth of cocoa on a winter’s day.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
