How bad does life have to get for you to not measure up to a clown? That’s the question asked in Elijah Broughton’s comedy short, Big Shoes to Fill.
Franklin (Lee Peña) has just arrived… late… at his ex-wife’s home for his daughter’s birthday party. Before he can set one foot in the house, Diana (Destiny Gordon) warns him not to make the day about himself. Birthday girl Jocelyn (Lola Barron) isn’t exactly thrilled that Dad came, and none of the other guests want anything to do with him. So Franklin grabs a cup of punch and spikes it to take the edge off.
Then Diana announces the special guest has arrived. It’s Tango the Clown (Gabriel Barron). The kids go nuts. Jocelyn is over the moon, and suddenly everyone at the party is having a blast. Everyone except Franklin. The more fun everybody has, the more annoyed he gets, and the more “punch” he drinks. Now drunk and paranoid, Franklin is convinced Tango isn’t just there to entertain the kids. He’s there to become Jocelyn’s new dad. Franklin isn’t about to let this happen.
Franklin forces a nervous grin as he arrives at his daughter’s birthday party in Big Shoes to Fill.
“Now drunk and paranoid, Franklin is convinced Tango isn’t just there to entertain the kids.”
Big Shoes to Fill leans into the comedic idea that no comparison is worse than a clown. The clown is light-years better than you, and the premise is played to its satirical conclusion. Franklin finds himself insecure as a bad dad, then lets ego take over to horrible results for good old dad.
Writer/director Elijah Broughton crafts a solid comedy short that builds the setup and delivers a hilarious punchline. The birthday party staging is spot-on, especially once you add in all the kid wrangling. The timing is perfect, and both Lee Peña and Gabriel Barron give it their all as the protagonist and antagonist. I also love the little homage to old-school TV Batman.
For more information, visit the Big Shoes to Fill official Instagram page.
"…How bad does life have to get…to not measure up to a clown?"
