Life
is never easy for a struggling actor--especially for Brett
Penny. Because of a freak accident several years back
involving an illegally obtained broadsword and an 8 year
old dressed up like a mushroom, he's been blacklisted
from all theatre productions in Britain and, though he's
auditioned for several major movies, has yet to break
into the big time. So Brett hires a team of four aspiring
filmmakers to help him make a show reel that he plans
to send in to Hollywood. Using a tough-talking alter-ego
of his own creation named "Masssive Johnson,"
Brett hopes to re-invent himself as the next great British
action hero - despite the fact that Masssive Johnson has
an American accent.
The
film crew arrives at Brett's apartment, initially excited
to do a show reel for an up-and-coming Hollywood movie
star. However, after meeting and interviewing Brett,
talking with his friends - or lack thereof - and attempting
to shoot action sequences for his show reel, the crew
soon comes to realize that Brett is an egomaniac who
really knows nothing about martial arts, or acting for
that matter. He is also probably gay and in denial,
and is quite possibly bordering on insanity as the character
of Masssive Johnson slowly takes over his life. The
crew finishes the shoot anyway, and thankfully leaves,
determined never to see Brett or Masssive Johnson again.
Content
This
is a really interesting story. Even though it's more
of a satirical comedy, I think it will still ring true
for anyone who's struggling to break into the film industry
- both for the actors like Brett who are trying to find
their niche, and for the behind-the-scenes people like
the director and his crew who have to take less-than-ideal
jobs just to make ends meet.
There
were a lot of really funny moments within the movie.
For example, when the crew first arrives at Brett's
apartment, Brett opens the door, shakes hands with Elden
- the sound and continuity man - and then proceeds to
pull him into the apartment alone, shutting the door
in the face of the rest of the crew. There are many
other references within the film to the possibility
of Brett actually being gay as he continues to flirt
with Elden throughout the shoot, until, at one point,
he pulls out one of his headshots, autographs it for
Elden, and includes his phone number. Later on, however,
Brett gets very angry when he discovers that Elden has
a girlfriend. This adds an interesting touch to the
movie, since people often wonder whether today's uber-masculine
action stars are really straight or just in denial.
