As a seasoned cinephile with a knack for dissecting the intricacies of character development and storytelling, I must say that the characters in “Crumb Catcher” are an unusual bunch indeed. They seem to have been plucked straight from a carnival sideshow, each one more eccentric than the last.
In various movies, we come across characters that we dislike intensely, such as Amon Göth in Schindler’s List and Cal Hockley from Titanic. However, there are also characters who are so irritating that they spoil the entire movie experience for us. This category includes characters like Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and Mutt Williams from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. To this list, we can add at least one major character from Crumb Catcher, a film that has too little storytelling credibility and is often populated by individuals whose actions stray far from recognizable human behavior.
In Chris Skotchdopole’s debut film, it would have been simpler to overlook the underlying sociopolitical aspects if he had delved deeper into them beyond mere dialogue. The movie presents a captivating portrayal of middle-class anxiety as John (John Speredakos) and his wife Rose (Lorraine Farris) persistently push their invention to Shane (Rigo Garay), a Latino author, despite his reservations about his wife Leah (Ella Rae Peck) using his tragic past for commercial gain in her efforts to promote his upcoming memoir.
However, in Skotchdopole’s narrative, the storyline becomes overly complex due to an unstructured approach to storytelling. Fascinating concepts are lost amidst excessive dialogue and intricate plot turns. The film’s scope is too wide, leading to aimless and feeble attempts at various themes. Essentially, Crumb Catcher resembles a disjointed effort to emulate the style that might arise if Michael Haneke, director of Funny Games, were to direct a remake of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
Newlyweds Destined for Trouble
If Skotchdopole were given another chance to direct a film (and he should), it would be more advantageous for him to work with someone else’s script. In the initial scene, the newlyweds Shane and Leah, who are posing for photos at their lavish wedding, appear so mismatched that it seems like a marriage of convenience, considering they’ve both spent five years collaborating to get his novel published. The chemistry between Garay and Peck, who portray Shane and Leah, is minimal, leading us to believe this lack of connection might be intentional. As a result, we don’t truly know Shane and Leah, and the story fails to provide an opportunity for us to empathize with them.
During their honeymoon intimacy, the moment that delves deeper into their relationship dynamic arises when Shane, struggling with uncertainty about publishing a memoir potentially damaging to his family, assumes a tough persona. Surprisingly, he still requests Leah’s assistance in opening a bottle of champagne.
The story unfolds primarily within a stunning honeymoon cabin borrowed from Leah’s employer, showcasing beautiful outdoor settings in New York’s Dutchess and Putnam Counties. Cinematographer Adam Carboni skillfully utilizes the compact space, but his dynamic camera movements and Skotchdopole’s editing at times feel excessive, creating a sense of confusion.
As a cinephile, I found myself bewildered when an unscheduled knock on my door late at night unveiled none other than John – a disheveled, rapid-fire speaking waiter who had traveled miles from a wedding to personally deliver the cake topper due to a wedding day mix-up. Accompanied by his wife Rose, John becomes the intriguing variable and main catalyst for the story’s unfolding events.
A Villain Who’s Crazy, Cringey and Won’t Shut Up
In my perspective, Speredakos dives headfirst into his role, giving it his all as he blatantly crashes into the cabin’s scene, making it seem like John, in a moment of Westchester County madness reminiscent of Willy Loman, urgently needed to relieve himself. However, both characters appear far-fetched within the film’s realistic setting, and Rose doesn’t fare any better in this regard.
It appears that John might be playing a symbolic role similar to Beelzebub, luring the troubled couple with a grand demonstration of his innovative product – a cherry red device for clearing crumbs from dining tables. However, it’s more likely that John and Rose are merely persistent hustlers, willing to go to great lengths to secure funding for their invention, the Crumb Catcher. If the newlyweds refuse to invest $50,000, Rose isn’t shy about using threatening tactics, such as blackmailing Shane with a compromising video from their wedding day.
“Crumb Catcher” is a film where characters like Shane and Leah, with Leah being the more intelligent one, seem to find themselves in situations they’d likely avoid if not in a movie. However, they play their parts as required by the genre, which involves numerous discussions about calling 911 without actually making the call. Although such naive actions add to the fun in these types of films, Skotchdopole pushes it too far, and the build-up before the climax becomes so implausible that it eventually breaks the limits of credibility.
Where Are the Sympathetic Characters?
As a movie enthusiast, I can’t hide the fact that Skotchdopole keeps up a palpable tension all through, which is quite commendable given the weak support from the subpar music score. Yet, this sustained sense of suspense seems to indicate that he’s less inclined to delve into the intricate racial and social disparities that could have made the Latino character, Shane, a victim of his white wife’s career aspirations, and John, a compulsive achiever whose hunger for America’s capitalist success garners a bit of our understanding.
Rather than being endearing, he’s the least appealing character in a movie where not a single character is likable, nor does their destiny seem worth investing in. However, if there’s one lesson to take from “Crumb Catcher”, it’s that when a madman approaches your driveway for what feels like the hundredth time, please do remember to lock the front door. From Music Box Films, you can now watch “Crumb Catcher” on various digital platforms such as YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and through Prime Video below:
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2024-08-31 04:03