Okay, the running gag involving the suggestive use of the word “moosecock” in various conversations gets old very quickly, but that’s about the only complaint one can have about this otherwise funny short film.
The movie plays like a featurette you’d find on any DVD. It’s a scene from the movie “Moosecock” and then about four more minutes of the director (Jared Hillman) talking about it, which is cut with interviews with the actors, the producer’s take, and snippets of behind-the-scenes footage. It knows when to play the gag seriously and when to go over the top, which proves that the real writer/director (Will Hartman) knows his comedy and comedic timing — a rarity these days. (In fact, after finishing this movie, I immediately saw a trailer for “Are We Done Yet?” and had to wonder why that gets shown in the theatre while Hillman may never get that chance. There is no justice in Southern California.)
At six minutes the movie is the exact right length. Any longer and those already thin jokes would have been unbearable. Any shorter and viewers would feel cheated. Will there ever be a real “Moosecock” movie? I hope to God not, but if Hillman is actually entertaining the idea I’d advise him to stop and instead consider a feature-length mockumentary about the making of the fake film. Now that’s something I’d pay to see.
