In comedy, a fine line separates brilliance from stupidity. Will Dustin Muenchow’s comedy short, Bladez, find its comedic footing or fall into the abyss of sadness?
Triash (Alyssa Sabo) is having a tough go at it as a teenager. Her mom (Angela Giarratana) ran off on a cruise, leaving her and her dad behind. She could have gone with her mom, but chose to stay behind with her dad instead. Now it’s just Triash and her father, who only knows how to make pasta.
Salvation has arrived: the local skate shop is looking for the best blader in the community, and a competition will determine the winner. The top prize is free tacos for life. Standing in her way is her longtime rival, Sheila (also Alyssa Sabo), who has a vested interest in Triash’s failure. On top of that, she’s also trying to catch the eye of her longtime crush, Kevin (Matt Catanzano).
Alyssa Sabo appears as three different characters alongside Angela Giarratana in a scene from Bladez.
“The problem is that Triash hasn’t bladed since her mother left, so there’s a psychological barrier.”
The problem is that Triash hasn’t bladed since her mother left, so there’s a psychological barrier. Suddenly, a mysterious man, Chunks (Dennis Hurley), emerges from a trash can, and even though he has no ankles, he could be the key to Triash winning tacos for life and Kevin’s heart.
Dustin Muenchow’s short, Bladez, is the kind of comedy I’m drawn to… plain old silliness. Like parody movies such as Airplane!, Bladez is packed with jokes and is a send-up of classic teen TV shows like Saved by the Bell. Our protagonist has a goal that feels big, but it’s only tacos for life, and Triash gives it everything she has to achieve it as wacky obstacles get in her way. Here, Muenchow navigates the right side of stupid to make a hilarious short.
Bladez also overcomes a common pitfall in many comedy shorts. Clearly, this story found its roots in long-form improv comedy. What Muenchow does right is not to make this an improvised short, but to write and rewrite the script, extracting the bad jokes and leaving only the gems. It’s improv turned sketch done right.
In Bladez, filmmaker Dustin Muenchow has a clear vision of what he finds funny, and that clarity translates hilariously to audiences. The story feels familiar to anyone who grew up watching the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon and pinpoints what’s ripe for parody.
"…A mysterious man…emerges from a trash can."
