“The Man Who Copied” brings you the adventures of just that – a man who makes copies. Yeah, these may not sound like the most exciting adventures you’ve ever heard of, but trust me when I say that this thorough observation of a man who lives a boring existence working as a photocopy machine operator by day and drawing comics and peeping on his neighbors through binoculars by night is absolutely enthralling. Unfortunately, they’re not very enthralling for Andre, our photocopy machine operator, as he decides to make a move on a girl he’s been watching for a while. Problem is, he needs money to be able to impress her and so kicks off an ever maddening plot that involves photocopying money, drug dealers, bank robbery and lottery numbers. Yep, things definitely pick up for this dull copier. It’s too bad, though, that this is where the film derails and is no longer very interesting.
Such a weird movie that the most fascinating part is the first half hour as we’re taken into the mind of this dullard stuck in a rut, but when he breaks out, in a big way, the movie falls apart. A lot of that has to do with this movie being just over two hours long. There is just no way this story needed two hours to be told. Even 100 minutes would be pushing it. So, “The Man Who Copied” is far too long for its own good. Also, filmmaker Jorge Furtado’s major talent lies in analyzing and carefully fleshing out even the most mundane characters and activities so that they become infectious. I absolutely loved the first thirty minutes of this film, but then, as the plot thickened, it slowly turned into some dime a dozen wacky Hollywood crime caper. Ninety minutes in and you feel like you’re watching “Ruthless People” and that’s not the boat I thought I was getting on at the beginning of this trip. In the end, “The Man Who Copied” is a major letdown.
