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★★★★★
Directed by: #DominicBurgess
Written by: Dominic Burgess
Starring: #AlfredMolina, Dominic Burgess, #HarleyJaneKozak
The five stages of grief get hilariously combined with the baffling stages of fanboying in this dark comedy from #filmmaker Dominic Burgess. Sam Did It is a riotously funny short film that shows the comic side of celebrity mortality.
Burgess plays the titular Sam, whose shift in the morgue is thrown into equal parts joy and tragedy when he finally gets to meet his favourite celebrity (Alfred Molina), who is dead on his trolley. Pushing through the different stages of grief, Sam still finds time and the frame of mind to declare his devotion to the legendary actor. He does this by hysterically shouting the names of films which Molina has appeared in or taking selfies with the corpse. As the autopsy approaches, however, one more shocking surprise is in store for our hero.
Painfully funny and containing a terrific comedy turn from Burgess, Sam Did It could very well be the indie comedy of the year. It has superb timing, coping especially well with the dramatic landscape of Sam's emotions, and the high production value makes this a very appealing watch for audiences. When comedy writing is done to this level viewers should be paying special attention, especially as this is Burgess’ directorial debut (having accumulated an impressive acting filmography).
Skittish comedy can sometimes have a limited longevity and appeal, leaving the #shortfilm feeling more like a missing piece from a bigger story. With Sam Did It, the nature of the plot engenders a quick fire approach, which is then intelligently complemented by the sharp editing and boisterous sound design. The frenetic behavior of Sam is perfectly in tone with the story's connotations of celebrity devotion and the fickleness of these types of “relationships”. That being said, Burgess knows when to break convention by throwing in plenty of swears which punctuate the glossy, surreal veneer and assuming a more #NickFrost / #SimonPegg vibe.
The gags are great and Burgess tears up the screen with a beautifully pitched performance. Entering the potentially shallow arena of fame films and leaning too hard on a cameo could have been a recipe for disaster but Burgess sidesteps this by making his brilliant comedic character the focal point. It's a role that will touch audiences in all the right places and get them pondering how they would react meeting someone as legendary as Alfred Molina. I mean, come on!!
Spider-Man 2!
An Education!
Hey Arnold: The Jungle Movie.
*Swoon.
Watch the official movie trailer for Sam Did It below...
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