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★★★★
Directed by: Adam William Ward
Written by: #SethHymes, Adam William Ward
Starring: #PatrickCavanaugh, #AdamWilliamWard, #AaronGroben, #JamesBabson, #LissaLauria, #LaurenFrancesca, #RonaldQuigley, #AndrewRamaglia,
Weekend at Bernie’s meets Pineapple Express in this indie comedy movie from writers Seth Hymes and Adam William Ward. Wally Got Wasted is a gut-busting stoner flick that manages to put together a phenomenally impressive film on a limited budget (70k).
Patrick Cavanaugh plays Mitch, whom we meet at the beginning of Wally Got Wasted being dumped by his fairly heartless GF Jessica (Lauren Francesca). Seeking comfort in the arms of his buddies Charlie (Ward) and Jerry (Ada Groben), as well as a Brisket, Mitch’s plans for a night on the tiles to find some closure on his relationship are scuppered when a violent serial killer posing as a census worker called Wally (James Babson) interrupts his cooking. Accidentally and fatally stabbing the man, Mitch and his friends are swiftly caught up in a dangerous journey across L.A. where they hope to dispose of the body and avoid some corrupt cops who were hunting Wally for attempting to blackmail them.
Chaotic and a little rough around the edges, there is a ton of enjoyment to be found in this indie film. Never once taking itself too seriously, the #filmmakers are happy to lean heavily on movies of this genre which have come before (if you have avoided all #SethRogen films this movie may still feel somewhat fresh), and instead of busying themselves with originality or believability, set about delivering a film that is fucking fun. They pay homage to numerous cinematic Greats throughout the piece but also deliver a number of terrifically filmed sequences. The production value is as high as the character of Jerry!
Speaking of which, the characters are brilliantly sketched and delivered by the cast. In fact, this ensemble is perhaps going to be the best of the year! Cavanaugh turns in the wonderfully anxious type whose increasingly perilous situation makes him even more engrossing to watch. Ward is particularly brilliant as his endlessly supportive friend, the chemistry between the two was excellent and Ward reminded me a lot of a great comedy actor like #JasonSiegel. Groben does well to portray a Bill & Ted style surfer-dude-cum-dopehead. The act gets a little tired at times and the character’s legion of errors during the plot feel palm-facingly annoying by the end. At one point his use of air quotes to give away their plan to bury the body was almost enough for me to bark at the screen. That being said, Jerry does have some of the best comedy sequences in Wally Got Wasted, such as firing a gun off in a cave! The supporting cast are also splendid, in particular Lissa Lauria, who plays a girl Mitch meets on his travels with Wally, the budding romance between the two perfectly grounded the movie. We should also tip our hat to Babson, whose screen time as a corpse massively outweighs his time alive. He still provided a performance that was full of skill and aplomb.
Making an indie #comedy in 2019 is ridiculously difficult without household names and/or a huge marketing budget. Hugs and bum slaps all round for these guys, who have put together such a genuinely enjoyable and well-crafted film on a small budget (mostly self financed), used a ton of great locations and extras, and made it look on par with Hollywood’s mainstream output.
Watch your back Rogen and co, these fellas know what they’re doing and they’re not afraid cook a brisket if you know what I mean.
Watch the official movie trailer below.
Wally Got Wasted is currently available to watch on Amazon Prime.
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Watched this movie and couldn't stop laughing throughout the whole thing. This movie is hilarious!