What We Do In The Shadows is now in limited release.
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| "Call us Addams Family one more time and we'll eat your face." |
Who knew that an entire movie could be built around one
simple question – “Wouldn’t it be funny to watch centuries old vampires dealing
with the monotony and challenges of life in the modern world?”. What We
Do in the Shadows from Flight of the
Conchords alum Jermaine Clement and Eagle Versus Shark director Taika Waititi somehow manages to be remarkably funny
throughout while relying almost exclusively this relatively narrow premise.
Harkening back to the slapstick and silliness of some of the
most beloved comedies of the 1980’s, Shadows
utilizes a series of increasingly absurd gags and situations that allow the
film to be both engaging and unexpected.
The film absolutely nails its documentary tone, especially in the
hilariously awkward opening introductory scenes, in which Waititi is completely
perfect as the goofy, camera shy newly minted reality TV star.
While obviously silly, performances are
appropriately deadpan and honest throughout, and make for an oddly convincing
documentary about modern vampires in small town New Zealand. A few moments miss the mark, but don’t derail
the comedy completely, and the moderately low budget flick even manages a few
convincing special effects and some very funny gore.
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| "I just love vinyl." |
Unsurprisingly, Shadows
is not perfect. The narrative slogs a
bit in the third act, and a few bits are over-done or under-utilized. There is certainly some clever dialog and a
several very smart references to vampire lore and superstition, which will keep
even a hardcore vamp fan interested and laughing. The influences from Clement’s past
experiences with Flight of the Conchords are
definitely apparent, so fans of the series (at least the first season) will
likely enjoy Shadows. In the end, Shadows is an enjoyable, watchable comedy with a well-executed
gimmick to set it apart from the rest.
-Patrick B. McDonald