(Yawn…) Oops, excuse me. Couldn’t quite stifle the yawn after watching yet another ensemble comedy about struggling but attractive young writers/actresses/film geeks/musicians…zzzz. Bull hockey! If these twenty-something twits are struggling so much in New York City, how come their apartments are so nice?
Whew. I feel better now. Sigh. Here are our struggling caricatures: Darren (Brad Beyer) is the struggling playwright backed up by his wealthy daddy. Jay (Forbes March) is the hunky struggling guitarist with a case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in his head, if not in his wrist. Mickey (Michæl Parducci) is a struggling graduate film school student and film snob. Ethan (Jordan Gelber) is a struggling grad school English major and chronic dieter. Rebecca (Morena Baccarin) is a struggling but gorgeous young actress. Rebecca and Mickey broke up but continue to struggle with “break-up sex.” Darren struggles with his feelings for Rebecca even as she secretly struggles with her feelings for him. Jay struggles to spread out his mooching equally amongst his friends who struggle to tolerate his mooching. Ethan struggles to carry on a conversation with an attractive woman without sweating profusely.
The viewer struggles to give a damn about any of these people.
I struggle to find a single original moment in this entire film. Writer/director Dan Kay’s “Way Off Broadway” isn’t a terrible film. It’s not offensive, controversial or even interesting in any way. Instead, “Way Off Broadway” is one of those films that seems to find its way into just about every film festival; a dialogue heavy ensemble piece filled with attractive people struggling mightily to act like real people. It’s a genre that pretty much reached its high water mark with “St. Elmo’s Fire.” Struggle as it might, the ultra-ordinary “Way Off Broadway” will simply slip way off the radar screen.
