“IPO” tells the tale of a group of San Francisco dot-commers attempting to get rich through their companies’ IPO (initial public offering). The problem? They quickly learn that money and friendship don’t always go hand in hand, especially when you have a not so great business plan.
“IPO” starts off as a comedy that appears to be poking fun at the stupidity of the workplace and the corporate world of self-obsessed dot-commers. But just as you start to have a good laugh or two, “IPO” suddenly shifts gears into more serious fare. Then after you settle into drama mode, “IPO” then again shifts gears again into tragicomedy mode. And that’s really the only thing keeping “IPO” from being a great film, a lack of focus.
All of the players in “IPO” are magnificent, which is an amazing feat considering the size and scope of the cast. But that’s also part of the problem. There are so many characters and relationships between them all that you need a chart to keep track of who’s who. Some of the characters that play as sub-plots suddenly become dominate players in the story while other main characters you’ve been introduced to just suddenly disappear off the radar.
Director Daniel Gamburg has put together an interesting story and a fantastic cast. “IPO” could have been something really amazing if he could have just taken all these great elements and put them into a more cohesive package, with a little more focus.
