DON’T TELL LARRY FILM REVIEW
Don’t Tell Larry film, written by Greg Porper and John Schimke, is an enjoyable office comedy that is sure to brighten your day. Once it gets going, it’s a terrific portrayal of excellent concepts packed into a tight narrative that lacks sense at first but finally delivers its significant punch, but it’s important to give it a while to establish its rhythm. The film’s true worth can only be realised if you stick with it.
Susan wants a promotion in the movie. Her departing employer Bruce is met with this insistence. But Larry, a new employee who happens to know Bruce and poses a danger to Susan’s intentions, has a link to him. Susan tells Larry she didn’t know about the workplace party planned by her manager, but when tragedy occurs and the inquiry begins, she can’t seem to clear her name. Susan decides to enlist the help of her eccentric coworker Patrick in an effort to uncover the truth about Larry, who has developed an unhealthy obsession with Bruce his pet cat.
Don’t Tell Larry is an independent comedy, therefore it has unknown performers doing their best with a screenplay that never strays from its comedic premise. It never challenges its audience by forcing its characters into situations or plot devices that have been done before. The narrative is told in a situational comedic manner that nearly has a vignette-like format.
After getting high and “going Watergate” on the workplace, Susan and Patrick are subjected to drug testing, during which they must provide alternative urine samples (after consuming some food, of course). Later, Susan is trapped in the back of Larry’s vehicle, and Patrick attempts to free her. As a result, the picture stays within the bounds of tried-and-true comedic conventions while also making a few tries that ultimately fall flat. Avoid trying new things here.
Closer to the end, the film embraces a darker aspect to the narrative, with Susan truly facing danger and Larry’s peculiar attitude towards hardship (the film even uses a portion of Danny Elfman’s soundtrack to a Tim Burton picture, which assists this creepy turn in the film). Towards the conclusion, when Larry reveals his actual personality and the film takes the required genre-bending shift, the picture loses a little steam due to the more emotional part of the plot. The twist is effective, so I won’t give away any more details, but suffice it to say that things go… brutal.
As the driven Susan, Patty Guggenheim steals the show and makes the movie her own. Sure, Kenneth Mosley does the same thing with every role he plays. However, Guggenheim has a chance to show that she is more than simply a supporting player in this production. Her comedic abilities are front and centre, and she displays them throughout the film.
Larry is brought to life by Kiel Kennedy, who depicts him as a strangely humorous yet emotional guy that you just can’t “solve.” Whatever the case may be, his acting is essential to grasping the mystery and humour that coexist in Don’t Tell Larry. Don’t Tell Larry succeeds throughout the independent cinema landscape because of its brilliant comedic moments and knowing nod to the scary genre, both of which were expertly directed by the two filmmakers who poured their hearts into the picture.