A mockumentary about the people who frequent garage sales is an excellent idea. Those folks can be downright creepy, and in the case of “G-Sale,” the characters actually remind me of other people I’ve known. There’s a lesbian couple who remind me of two lesbians who owned an adult bookstore where I worked and made anal beads. One of the lesbians, BJ (Robin Douglas), actually looks like an old gym teacher I had back in Pennsylvania during my junior high days. The actor turned voiceover artist, Dick (Ted D’arms), is a carbon copy of a local media personality who married my wife and I. Crazy. The only complaint I have about the people in the film is that the lone gamer, Ed (Scott Burns), is a hell of lot more hygienic and better adjusted than most role players I meet. Let’s face it, Everquest and Dungeons and Dragons players have issues.
While this sounds like it would be a hilarious mix of characters, there are quite a few scenes that just don’t work because they seem too staged. Other scenes work far better than I think anyone intended, so that almost makes up for the duds. As with any good mockumentary, though, the stuff that isn’t pointed out is what works best, especially in the case of the ex-con Xavier (Henry Dardenne). I believed that guy did jail time; he just seems so f*****g dangerous.
“G Sale” isn’t in the same league as Hacks or This is Spinal Tap, which it gives a nod to in an early scene. It tries, though, and almost succeeds, so credit must be given. These days, a mockumentary of any caliber is bound to be better than the romantic comedies replicating on the big screen, and we can all be grateful for that.
