Frank Bohner (Brett William Mauser) is a skeleton detective in noir send-up Pro Bono. Mauser also wrote and directed the film, which is modeled on the downbeat cinematic adventures of the likes of Sam Spade and Mike Hammer, with the notable difference being that both of those characters had soft tissue.
Bohner (pronounced bahn-er, of course, not boner) needs a case, as times are hard. His luck changes when a beautiful lounge singer named Marion Loughton (Melissa Dawn Smith) is ushered into the office by his beautiful secretary, Virginia (Lisa Butala). Loughton says her husband is cheating, and she wants to hire Bohner to follow him and get proof. He takes the case and heads off to photograph naughtiness. Of course, this being a noir film, the actual situation is far more complicated than he thinks, and soon enough Bohner finds himself embroiled in a chaotic plot that involves murder and a fantastic sum of money. The plot is basically a mad-lib amalgam of every noir detective film ever made.
“…a mad-lib amalgam of every noir detective film, but this one has a talking skeleton….”
The production value in Pro Bono is incredibly good for a low-budget film. The cinematography and lighting are high quality, and the soundtrack is lovely, with smoky trumpets and sax, just like in the Mike Hammer films. The performances are adequate, but nobody here is winning an Oscar. The puppeteering style movements of the skeletal Bohner work in context, though some of this comes across just as goofy as when Bruce Campbell fights skeleton warriors in Army of Darkness. Of course, in both cases, being cheesy is the point.
There is humor also in the anachronistic use of technology. A key plot point revolves around the use of the cloud for digital media storage. Boner references hit fast and furious. There’s a gag about a porn website called “bonly fans,” and we learn that a skeleton can indulge in self-abuse, somehow… I suppose if he can talk without lips, then anything is possible. We also learn that while a skeleton can be knocked unconscious by a bonk on the skull, conversely, it turns out that they are very difficult to kill.
One must give credit where due: Mauser commits to the bit and grinds through the preposterous premise with mad glee. Bone jokes snap throughout. Bohner has a Black skeleton friend named Bone-Z (Xavier Vanderblue). Silly me, thinking all skeletons were white regardless of skin tone.
The entire endeavor of Pro Bono is a “skeleton walks into a bar” joke that’s been reverse-engineered into a feature film. That’s not a criticism, we’re here for it. The film is hilariously entertaining. On the other hand, if your sense of absurd humor doesn’t extend to snickering at cheap orthopedic jokes, then you’re boned.
"…if your humor doesn’t extend to snickering at cheap orthopedic jokes, then you’re boned."
