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The Mini
Ron Beck
Larry Dahlke, Jeff Stockberger, Angie Craft, Chris Stack, Darrell Francis
(Maverick Entertainment; US theatrical: 10 May 2010; UK theatrical: 10 May 2010; 2010)
Life is about the small stuff, the small stories between people and their place on the planet. On occasion, we catch a fleeting glimpse of the bigger picture, a far more meaningful scope from our otherwise minutia laden existence, but few of us are clued in enough to seize the opportunity. No, for most of us, it’s the daily grind, the far too early alarm, the rushed breakfast and the crazy commute to work. Toss in kids, spousal complaints, other familial fractures, aging, health, social obligations, the bedtime which never seems to arrive, and the tiny terrors that orbit around them all and the universe does seem to shrink down to a single spot on an infinite plain. For Fran Molon (Larry Dahlke), frustrated futon salesman, everything has been reduced to mattresses - quilted, comfort-top, firm, extra firm and European styled. If he can conquer bedding, he can conquer the world…well, maybe not.
Thus beginning the hilarious, heartfelt misadventures of a man, his mission, and The Mini. The title of Ron Beck’s genial indie comedy comes from an annual foot race. It’s a competition that Fran’s late father won several years ago. Now, the weak-willed employee of Bedroom Warehouse wants to use the event as a means of landing the coveted assistant manager’s promotion. Sadly, his burly good old boy boss Stan (Darrell Francis) can only envision mattress maverick - and drinking buddy - Rick (Chris Stack) as his right hand man. Eventually, they make an unusual wager - if Fran can win the Mini like his old man did, Rick will step aside and let him take the promotion. Now, with the help if his security guard best friend Dale (Jeff Stockbridge) and potential girlfriend Carmen (Angie Craft), Fran will try to overcome his fears while tapping into the inner winner that will make his sleep set dreams come true.
A critic more famous than yours truly once argued that the only standard by which a comedy can be judged is this: did it make you laugh? If not, then it failed. Even if it does everything else right, it upends the core convention of the genre. If yes, then it begins its long, often arduous road to ultimate cinematic success. While The Mini might stop somewhere short of a masterpiece (or even memorable), it is indeed a very funny, very insightful look at life along the fringes of society. No one is suggesting that Rob Beck, writer and director of this winning farce, is trying to argue some universal truths. Instead, he is using his Indianapolis backdrop, a strip mall full of Midwestern values, and a slightly skewed sense of wit to paint a portrait of what it takes to make it through each and every day. That we root for Fran to win, that we want to see Stan and Rick get the comeuppance they so clearly deserve, is indicative of the talent behind the lens.
The people in front of the camera do a fine job as well. Playing the loveable loser nerd is never easy, but Dahlke does a good job of walking the fine line between aggravating and agreeable. He is always better working off of someone else, be it his meddling mother or longtime pal Dale. There is a tendency to take Fran over the top, to make him an object of such abject ridicule that no true human being could tolerate such trashing, but thanks to a deft performance hand, Dahlke keeps things in check. Similarly, as the slimy Rick, soap star Stack offers just enough vulnerability to keep his villain viable. Reminiscent of Billy Mitchell, the video game champion from King of Kong who has lived off that title for a tad too long, there’s a subliminal slightness to what the character represents that Stack inhabits flawlessly. Along with Francis as a flustered lummox and Stockbridge as a well-intentioned bumbler, Beck gets his cast to sync up nicely with his designs.
He also has a few tricks up his sleeve, using blackouts and asides to fill in the gaps when some jokes fall flat. The Mini is not the kind of outrageous, in-your-face farce of recent years. There are no gross out moments ala The Hangover and the language eschews the varying vulgarity of something by Judd Apatow. Instead, Beck is out to forge comedy out of character and creative situations, a feat few in today’s shock jock realm fully understand. Sure, the set-up pitting Fran against Rick is a clichéd basic and the backstory involving a famed father, a frustrated friends, and a possible gal pal all reek of Writing 101. But thanks to the fresh perspective Beck puts on the material, plus the benefits of an outside the mainstream aesthetic, what could feel forced and formulaic breezes by with likeable recognizability.
Besides, that same sense of amiability runs deep in The Mini. Even when it’s not splitting your sides or touching your heart, it wears its goodwill and its earnestness right out on its simple, satisfying sleeves. If you go in expecting scatology and grins lifted exclusively from the groin, you’ll be sadly disappointed. But if you recognize its low budget limitations, if you take it in the unspoiled spirit which it is given, and if you enjoy watching people act like people and not pawns in a ridiculous game of gratuitous one-upmanship, The Mini is the movie for you. Sometimes, it’s the small things that matter most. Though it may be tiny in type, this is one off the radar comedy that comes up large in several ways.
