SITTING DUCKS (director/writer: Henry Jaglom; cinematographer: Paul Glickman; music: Richard Romanus; cast: Michael Emil (Simon), Irene Forrest (Leona), Henry Jaglom (Jenny’s Friend), Zack Norman (Sidney), Richard Romanus (Moose), Patrice Townsend (Jenny); Runtime: 88; MPAA Rating: R; producer: Meira Attia Dor; Wellspring Media; 1980)
“Daffy character driven road movie comedy that never fails to be talkative, embarrassingly crude and outlandish.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Indie filmmaker Henry Jaglom (“Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?”/”Babyfever”) presents a likable, daffy character driven road movie comedy that never fails to be talkative, embarrassingly crude and outlandish.
Simon (Zack Norman) is the nervous, low-key, vitamin popping, detail-minded bookkeeper for a gambling syndicate in NYC, who schemes with his opposite in personality, the loudmouth, buffoonish, schmuck-like, would be lady’s man Sidney (Zack Norman) to rip them off of over $700,000 of their collection money. They hide the stash in the tires of their Caddy limo and drive down the eastern seaboard to Miami, where arrangements have been made to hop a private plane for Costa Rica and a life of ease. On the road, Sidney hires Moose (Richard Romanus), an aspiring lounge singer, to be their chauffeur. At their first stopover at a motel, the boys easily pick up two women. Sidney hits it off with the limber, flirtatious sexpot Jenny (Patrice Townsend), whose jealous boyfriend (Henry Jaglom) ditches her, while the neurotic insecure waitress Leona (Irene Forrest) quits her job in a huff over an insult from her boss and goes along for the ride. The five characters screw each other, share their obsessions over sex, suicide, health, money and dreams. The mismatched buddies can be both charming and irritating, but no matter it’s easy to get hooked into their silly situation and root for these small-time petty criminals to beat the Big Boys who are on their tail. A fun film that might not be everybody’s idea of fun, but I dug the wild ride.
REVIEWED ON 4/10/2006 GRADE: B
Dennis Schwartz: “Ozus’ World Movie Reviews”
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