Ever been channel surfing and find a movie or TV show that you’ve really, really, really been wanting to see for a while and then get interrupted? Sure, you could pop in a videotape and record the rest of the show, but who wants to search through the dozens of unlabeled cassettes of old “Three’s Company” reruns to find a blank one?
Such is the situation for our hero – a couch potato named Howie who has just found “Star Trek: First Contact” on television one lazy afternoon. He’s camped out on his mismatched couch by his coffee table covered in old bills, Doritos, cold pizza, warm beer and a roll of toilet paper. But there’s a knock at the door – a persistent knock that would annoy him throughout the whole movie.
Howie opens the door and is confronted by Ezekiel, a religious nut who just won’t go away until he makes a convert. Ezekiel forces his way into the apartment and proceeds to preach the gospel.
Things take a tragic turn when Ezekiel attacks Howie’s one true love – his baby, his television. But the real conversion happens when Howie finds out who Ezekiel really is.
“The Faith Healer’s Guide for the Slightly Inebriated” has a decent payoff in the end and shows the skills of a competent filmmaker. A few cinematic gaffs aside, it is constructed well and the story actually affects a change in Howie, which is not often seen in films (independent or otherwise).
Believe it or not, this actually has an interesting message that can easily be missed on first viewing. But after looking at it again, it is clear to say that director Kreg Thomley has a point to make: turn off the TV and go do something.
And considering that Thomley has worked on a handful of films for his company ThunderBubble Pictures, he has long since taken his own advice.
