Henry (Joshua Mikel) is home from college early, and whether that means he’s taking a break or has given up entirely remains to be seen. Tonight, however, he’s taking his younger brother Joey (Andrew Melzer), and Joey’s annoying, ungrateful friends, to a house party. Wanting to fit in and be the “cool” big brother, Henry agrees to purchase alcohol for Joey to bring.
Except nothing is easy, especially when the local regulars at the liquor store recognize Henry, and think he’s buying alcohol for his father instead (who they’re now worried may be having alcohol issues). To make matters even worse, local priest Father Doyle (Aaron Beelner) has arrived just in time to lend his seemingly disapproving eye to things. What is Henry to do?
Set up as the pilot for a webseries, Robert Bryce Milburn’s Stuck – “Guy Walks Into A Liquor Store…” does a great job of establishing a bunch of different characters and personalities that you actually wouldn’t mind seeing more of down the road. Sure, this short takes place predominantly in a car, a liquor store and eventually the house party, but you get enough of a glimpse of this world to know that things in this town are a little “off,” and in an intriguing way.
The film also looks great, with a distinctive perspective and composition that gives the eyes something interesting to experience. Couple this with a solid screenplay and a pace that knows that less is more, with its eleven minutes packing more punch than you’d imagine, and you’ve got a strong short film/webseries pilot on your hands.
The acting isn’t always the greatest, however, and the casting of the underage characters doesn’t make them appear to be all that much younger than the legal-to-buy-booze Henry, but those are my only gripes. Overall, I found the entire film quite enjoyable. Stuck has my attention, and I want to see more. More of Henry, more of the town and more back story. And isn’t that the point of a pilot, getting folks interested in another taste? Thus, a success all around.
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