The less said about “The Story of Charles Riverbank,” the better. Ben Safdie created and stars in this unfunny comedy short about a young man who is evicted from his home (a shack in the middle of an apartment complex courtyard). In the course of eight minutes, he goes through a series of dismal misadventures (he falls down in a bowling alley, chases a moving train across a platform, flirts with the wife of a jealous diner cook) before ending up in a parking lot populated by people sleeping on air mattresses. Huh?
Safdie, with his dark rimmed glasses and propensity for loose-limbed running, appears to be trying (and failing) to channel the ghost of Harold Lloyd. At least he’s not hanging off a giant clock – although his viewers will be checking their wristwatches to anticipate the closing credits.
