Film: Bart Got a Room
Cast includes: William H. Macy (Edmond), Steven Kaplan (Law & Order), Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development)
In brief: Finding a date for the prom is hard enough without all the added pressure. Danny’s grandfather lost his virginity that night. TMI. When Danny tells Craig he might ask his best friend, Camille, Craig disparages that idea. She’s a “plutonic!” Of course there’s Alice, the cute, blond sophomore that Danny drives to school everyday. Good choice. Craig: “She’s a cheerleader. She’s limber.” Dad’s positive that Alice is sending him all the right body-language signals. (Of course, Dad has his own relationship issues.) So after burning other bridges, Danny pops the question with Alice. They’re in the ice cream parlor, by the way, and Alice is slowly and sensuously licking on her ice cream cone… another one of those body-language things… or so it would seem. Not only does Alice turn him down flat, she can’t believe Danny would think of her in that way. When Danny says he thought that… he had the impression that… Alice tells him he’s “demented!”
Then there’s the tux rental, the limo rental and the hotel room. Well, maybe the hotel room isn’t absolutely necessary. The problem is that “Bart got a room.” We don’t know who Bart is, but the bar has been set. More money. More pressure. More at stake.
Set in southern Florida, the movie opens with Louis Prima’s “Sing Sing Sing Sing” and quickly goes to a prom night countdown. From the opening song to the very end, Bart Got a Room pulses with energy. The pacing, the dialogue, the editing and the music all underscore the emotional stress of getting through prom night. Yet, thankfully, the filmmakers never pass up an opportunity to add in every possible southern Florida cliché, for a wonderfully quirky feel. This one is upbeat, funny and a lot of fun.
2 popped kernels
Popped kernels for the good script and interesting characters
