Obviously capitalizing, whether accidentally or intentionally, on the current smattering of reality based television programs, “Series 7” not only satirizes, but brings this new trend to the limit. Six start the game, only one lives to claim the prize. That is it — if you are lucky enough to get selected, you play to the death. You are given a few guns, food for a month and the names of the other five players.
“Sometimes you’re angry and confused and it’s all you can do to go out and kill somebody.” Seven months pregnant, a mouth that would cause a trucker to blush and a set of balls to match– meet returning champ, Dawn (Brooke Smith). Smith is funny at moments and incredibly dramatic when the story demands. She commands the screen with a bravado rarely seen in women whose names do not end in Weaver.
“Series 7” really comes down to these two things: The editing, which blends intense scenes of sometimes incredibly violent action with some very funny moments of comedy, and the combined performances of Brooke Smith and Glenn Fitzgerald. It is their chemistry that propells the film from the absurd to the ridiculous, in a good way.
The only real problem with the film is the lack of description with regard to the rules of the game. Yes, we are told that there are no rules, but some footage from behind the scenes that in any way gave credence to how the show was actually aired or how the teams of cameramen stuck with the contestants, at all times, would have offered a huge amount in the realm of explaination. If you can accept the extreme concept, which is a real stretch, you will have a blast viewing “Series 7.” It takes “Survivor” to the ultimate conculsion and makes it look like a slow ride to grandma’s house.
