virag's movie reviews: 30 minutes or less (2011)

this was not a movie.  it was only 78 minutes long and was missing quite a few obvious scenes in addition most of the purported comedy.  i think it was a rejected pilot for an fx network show.  maybe comedy central.  that sad thing is, there was could have been something here.  there was the germ of a good idea.  the setting was grand rapids, michigan, which is one of those weird, sad, worn-out and left-behind american locales.  the main characters were comfortably non-heroic and downtrodden.  fred ward.  the guy and his friend were fine.  the sister was stunning.  but the two tee vee actors who were playing the villains were awful.  there is a reason why some people are on the tee vee: they are invisible on the big screen.  the stripper was played by a tee vee actor, but at least she was willing to do the thing young women have to do sometimes to prove they can fill up a big screen.  so...where was the rest of the movie?  supposedly the director had made a movie before, so didn't he look at the script and realize that was not a complete film there?  why would you go forward?  because the check cleared?  a good director would have done a rewrite, fleshed this thing out, and made it a genuine, profane and cynical dark comedy.  maybe next time.