★★★
Directed by: Will Terran
Written: #WillTerran
Starring: #AmeliaNewbould, #StewartOReilly, #EllenMan
Bungling burglars in this indie comedy Homesitters, written and directed by Will Terran.
Starring Amelia Newbould as an opportunistic house-sitter who turns her unsuspecting clientele's homes into settings of sordid debauchery with her eager BF (Stewart O'Reilly). Together, they drink themselves silly and fornicate in as many of the client's rooms as possible, before robbing the poor bastards. However, after a mishap during one house-sitting, the pair end up at a loose end and chasing the tail of another fellow miscreant (Ellen Man).
Suitably foul-mouthed and soaking with childish knob gags, Homesitters gets comfortably into bed with fans of comedies like Superbad and Eurotrip but probably has a more in common in terms of consistent tone with something like The Inbetweeners. The calamitous criminal act of the two central characters also has a lot in common with the Wet Bandits from the Home Alone films - totally inept but somehow operating a fairly successful criminal career. That being said, Terran's indie film feels fairly fresh and full of vigour.
Arguably the most difficult aspect of this movie to get past is the dialogue. The script is the type where it seems funny written down but when actors actually say the lines out loud, they drop like heavy sex toys. The pacing of the dialogue from Newbould is particularly problematic, coming out way too fast and ending seeming over rehearsed. O'Reilly hits the mark more often yet his gags to groans ratio will still have a lot of viewers rolling their eyes. I did very much enjoy the recurring Jehovah's Witness thread.
Making indie movies is hard and writing good comedy is even harder, so a massive hats off to the filmmakers for trying. Homesitters is by no means unenjoyable. The #filmmaking is fairly impressive in parts, such as the Edgar Wright-esque quick editing of a milky coffee being made or the phenomenal explosions. There were also some decent moments of #cinematography, especially during a scene where the two main characters walk through a field.
Thematic prowess could appear lacking at your first glance of this movie however Homesitters is a telling and bold coming-of-age parable that taps into the recklessness of youth and the search for direction. The shameless lack of care for their clients gets totally overshadowed by the pair's impressive love and dedication to each other. A universal riff of companionship can be heard throughout.
Just don't let these dickheads near your kimono.
Watch the indie film trailer below.
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