Baghead Review
by Steve Rhodes (steve DOT rhodes AT internetreviews DOT com)August 1st, 2008
BAGHEAD
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2008 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
BAGHEAD isn't a horror movie. And, although it may well be marketed as something of a BLAIR WITCH spoof, it really isn't that either.
BAGHEAD, jointly written and directed by the Duplass brothers, Jay and Mark, is a comedic drama about relationships. An indie film that's happiest when it takes itself least seriously, BAGHEAD follows four young would-be actors, Matt (Ross Partridge), Michelle (Greta Gerwig), Chad (Steve Zissis) and Catherine (Elise Muller). The closest these four characters have ever gotten to stardom is as extras. We follow them one inebriated weekend, as they head off to a remote cabin deep in the woods, where they hope to write a movie script for themselves in just two days.
Before the two couples head off for the weekend, we meet them at the L.A. Underground Film Festival, where they are part of a small audience seeing the world premiere of WE ARE NAKED. This black and white film was shot for under a thousand dollars by Jett Garner, who plays himself. The film festival host says glowing, heavily clichéd things about this obviously awful movie.
After seeing WE ARE NAKED, Matt convinces Michelle, Chad and Catherine that the four of them could come up with a script too. Actually, only Matt appears dedicated to the task. Chad's main interest is to work a romantic angle into the plot, so that he can hook up with Michelle, who treats him more like a brother than a potential lover. And Michelle's main interest is getting Matt to come to her bed. They are all reasonably good looking, especially Michelle who looks like a young Meg Ryan, but Chad is filled with self-doubts because of his rapidly receding hairline.
After pondering various genres and storylines, as they down many shots of tequila, nothing seems to be working. Finally Matt hits on the idea of a horror movie about a killer with a bag over his head who attacks two young couples staying at a remote cabin in the woods. Of course, this would transform their four-person movie idea into one that calls for a five member cast. Or would it?
You can probably construct the rest of the movie in your head, and you'd probably guess most of it correctly, but that doesn't make any difference. The beauty of BAGHEAD, a surprisingly sweet little movie, is that it doesn't have a pretentious bone in its body. The four lead actors are uniformly likable, so the thinness of the production never detracts from our enjoyment.
You don't really care how it ends or even what happens along the way. You just enjoy hanging out with these people for a while. Still, the movie does make its 84 minutes feel a bit long, so the film does have its limits.
BAGHEAD runs 1:24. It is rated R for "language, some sexual content and nudity" and would be acceptable for teenagers.
The film opens in limited release in the United States on Friday, August 1, 2008. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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