Shot on Super 8mm, Sean Ferris’ short film Lunch Time follows two co-workers (Michael Danehower and D.A. Smith) as they go to lunch at McDonald’s, talking in seemingly contextually nonsensical phrases. And that’s about it.
The conversations, which are more like odd, random statements, are where the fun is found. Without them, it’s just dark and grainy footage of two guys eating fast food (even with them, that’s what it is, but there’d be little merit found). Apparently the dialogue was culled from real life conversations that the filmmaker has overheard, which makes the absurdity of a guy talking about “that good-smelling leather” or “the little peanut man on the peanut jar” that much more entertaining. If anything, I wanted more of them and less of the guys eating. Then again, if you’ve ever been out to a quick lunch with a co-worker, often the need to consume food before time runs out wins over light conversation during the meal.
Overall, Lunch Time is a great example of one of the best elements of short filmmaking: that you can take a small idea or premise and run with it. Experiment, have fun, see what works and what doesn’t. There is a bit of “why?” when thinking about the film, but because of its short running time and self-awareness of when to get out before the joke gets too old, “why” simply becomes “why not?”
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