directed by:
Tanya OQuinn written by: Tanya OQuinn genre: Comedy |
So… well, let me begin with the fact that this ain't going to be what you think it is. Ultimately, that's probably a good thing, at least in terms of the political climate we've all been living through lately. It was nice to experience something like this short, inoffensive film to bring some levity to a situation that could certainly use some. The pros of labeling anything with Covid-19 in the title right now are few and far between, regardless of whether or not you believe in it or not. Generally speaking, we're all exhausted by both the experience of it & the conversation continually surrounding it. The cons of labeling anything with Covid-19 in the title should be pretty obvious based on the above, not to mention there will likely be a whole bunch of people that will be ready to get their tinfoil helmets on to get ready at their keyboard warrior battle stations - before they even understand what this is or isn't about. All I'm simply saying is that not everything has to be political all the time…you can relax and have at least a bit of fun with a film like "The Drug Deal (A Covid-19 Comedy)," and heck… you're supposed to!
You'll follow Gary (played by Gerard Marzilli) and Carl (played by Bron Theron) as they stake out a location late at night. All we really know is that what they're there to get from Gary's contact is crucially important; it comes in a bag, and it should be the ol' quick in & out with no issues - if everything goes well. You've got the more experienced Gary, basically advising the younger Carl, trying to make his mark in whatever shady business they're workin' in, and they play off of each other pretty well throughout the course of this less-than ten-minute film written and directed by Tanya OQuinn. The vast majority of "The Drug Deal (A Covid-19 Comedy)" is spent inside a car as the pair watch for the signal and get ready to move. There are no real issues here, as far as I can see. Both Gerard and Bron are having fun playing their respective characters, which keeps the whole mood of this film as light as it is intended to be, and that's a positive as far as I'm concerned. As I wrote earlier, people are gonna get their guard up just from even seeing the label of Covid-19, so diffusing any potential insta-rage actually becomes vitally important, and both of our two main characters succeed in doing that quickly as this story continues. As to whether or not the viewers out there are going to think "The Drug Deal (A Covid-19 Comedy)" is laugh-out-loud funny or not, in my opinion, it definitely has its moments. You might feel the urge for a slight chuckle or two. There's Carl's inhaling of a Capri Sun, and there's Gary's overall assessment of Carl's big run to get the bag. There's also Carl blowing his nose for an extended period of time, which seems to get under Gary's skin pretty fast…they both provide some minor laughs, with the main irony being that they're sitting inside of a vehicle to make us laugh, yet this vehicle for Comedy rolls on fairly square wheels. As in, let's be real here – "The Drug Deal (A Covid-19 Comedy)" is what any comedian out there would consider to be a very long setup for one defined punchline – and that's okay, there's nothing wrong with that whatsoever, it's just kind of key to know what you'd be getting into, lest ye get restless.
What I liked was that you don't actually see the punchline of this extended joke coming, and that's a good thing. Chances are, the finale of "A Drug Deal (A Covid-19 Comedy)" will probably make you laugh out loud, at least a little, which is the ultimate reward for having set this all up like OQuinn chose to do. So the question becomes, was it worth the waiting to get there? I suppose I feel like it was - to be truthful. Like I've been tellin' ya, we need to find some way to make light of all the seriousness that surrounded the pandemic era in some way, and OQuinn accomplished that with a joke that's not only pretty funny but one that, in the end, we can actually all relate to as well – which is really damn impressive when you think about it. It's the kind of situation where you almost think that you should have seen the ending coming, given the fact that we all shared in this experience and that it didn't happen all that long ago…so credit where credit is due, that's clever writing, and I fully respect that. I feel like this film deserves a strong three and a half stars out of five. It might not do a whole lot plot-wise, it might not have a ton of laughs written into the script, and it might not call for either of our main characters to have any kind of noticeable arc or even stretch their acting abilities an inch - but this film has an idea that it sticks with, it follows through on its intentions, and it truly delivered in the end by sticking the landing. I'm not saying run like Carl to go see it as fast as you can, but I ain't saying walk either – I'm saying that when/if you get an opportunity to watch "The Drug Deal (A Covid-19 Comedy)," you'll probably dig it more than you would have thought you would, based on the title…all-in-all, that's gotta be a good thing. |