Those quirky characters that populate our city streets. Busking in front of stores or raising their collective voices to anyone who will listen, looking for some spare change or even a decent cup of Java. For locals, these usually colorful folks eventually lose their "homeless" stigma and simply become part of the community. A staple of the neighborhood that you unconsciously pass along any change you may have accumulated in your pocket. Eventually, you may even become a friend, of sorts, to said persons and many times, these vagrants manage to entertain us while maintaining a smile... which no doubt can make you wonder about them. Why so happy? Is being homeless that much of a good time? "Adventures Of A Happy Homeless Man" from Dicky Tanuwidjaya, follows one such vagrant. Meet Bobo the Hobo, a self proclaimed safe and happy man. Follow along as Dicky's friendly neighborhood camera crew record the life and times of this lovable bum. Become part of his story as you slowly learn of Bobo's past life, in the corporate world and to some extent, the adventures that landed him where he is today. Keep one thing in mind however, as you witness the story unfold: It's fake. All of it. This is a "mockumentary" and as such, it's all about the fiction. If you were not told this was a fake biopic, you may begin to suspect eventually... but that wouldn't stop you from enjoying the movie. There are some truly entertaining moments and I had a good time watching. Mostly. "Adventures Of A Happy Homeless Man" does manage to showcase some interesting scenarios. Ones that really do contain those "grains" of truth. Mistakes, friendships and yes ladies and gents, even love itself. All these elements combine to form an interesting stew of a film. A movie you'll be happy to laugh along with, even when it takes on it's more serious tone. For anyone who remembers the television shows of yester-year, I couldn't help but start singing the theme song from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood as I watched. "The people that you meet, when you're walking down the street each day..." kept bounding around in my brain. That was what this film reminded me of. Mr. Rogers taking a stroll through his community, as part of his show. Only his neighborhood was more real and gritty, maybe even a little smelly, with characters that were "possibly" a little less child friendly. Bobo does dawn an awesome blazer though. One that I could completely imagine Mr. Rogers would have worn. I can totally picture it. You will as well. Technically and bluntly, this is a slightly long winded movie. Leaving ten or so minutes on the editing room floor, probably during the first half, would have really upped the pace. Removing the irritating chapter cards, scattered within the film, would have been a great start. The film really is a good one however, especially during the second half. The problem is getting the casual viewer to watch long enough, to get to it. By no means is the first half bad, just slow. Once past that half way point however, it's very easy to get sucked into the world Dicky Tanuwidjaya has put forth. The cast themselves all play their respective roles with a realistic, yet comedic flare. No question about that. There's also no question that Felino Dolloso, AKA: Bobo The Hobo steals the show. His ability to make Bobo, or Rafael, which is his "real" name in the film, a real yet totally "not real" and ridiculously happy person, completely blindsided me. The touching moments during those ending segments were the fuel for the fire. Dolloso's ability to bring such a colorful character to life is the heartbeat of this film. The surprise, dramatic ending cements the viewers suspicions that they are watching a truly talented actor. Excellent job. It's also worth mentioning that aside from a little long, as I've written about above, the edit of this film was handled quite nicely. Keeping a documentary interesting... especially a fake one... can be tough. We're talking about gritty, shaky footage. Keeping things neat, tidy and flowing can be a difficult edit to get right. In this case, the edit never overtly shows itself, for the most part, and keeps things together with an awesome flare for the "overly" dramatic. "Adventures Of A Happy Homeless Man" really is a funny flick. I have a few favorite scenes, one of them being the interview with Dr. Craven. Ha-ha. It's over the top situational comedy, and lovable main character easily make it a fun-to-watch kind of film. With a few minor changes, mainly to the length, easily I would have scored this one higher. I had to take into consideration that many, less dedicated viewers, would simply not give this film the chance it needs to get moving along. Even with the "director edition" run-time however, Dicky Tanuwidjaya still pulls off an excellent movie with the help of his talented cast and crew. I laughed, I giggled and then... I teared up a little. Just a bit. When you're looking for a quick hit of entertainment, what more could you ask? A solid flick. Period.