Serial killers and stand-up comedy – who would have thought to put the two of them together? Nick Oddo for one, who together with star Marvin W. Schwartz wrote and produced this black & white independent film about a comedian working his way toward stardom along both the comedy circuit and the annals of crime.
Norman (Schwartz) is an aging comic with a very dark sense of humor. Having been plugging away at the comedy routine for some time with little to no success, he’s fastened upon the idea that because serial killers and mass murderers (Jack the Ripper, Genghis Khan, Ted Bundy, Vlad the Impaler, etc.) are some of history’s greatest celebrities (“There are more books written on Jack the Ripper than on all the United States presidents combined.”), the surefire route to celebrity status is through murder. Following his line of thought that, “Whoever kills the most wins immortality,” Norman has not only constructed his entire act around homicide but he’s begun to put his theory into practice by committing random murders as often as possible.
Between gigs at the Comedy Club Norman stalks the streets and hallways of New York, using his benign appearance as just another little gray man to his advantage when approaching unsuspecting victims or fleeing the scene of one of his violent crimes. Throughout the film Norman beats, stabs, and bashes a number of people to death in his quest for fame, but as he himself says, “I killed eleven people, I can’t even get a review!”
His macabre comedy stylings fare even worse; because of his relentlessly morbid material Norman is eventually barred from the Comedy Club. (“That shit is goin’ nowhere! You got no fuckin’ business bein’ in a comedy room!”) Undaunted by this setback Norman continues his killing spree, despite a severe heart attack, and even continues to hone his act, going so far as to break into the Club at night and perform to an empty room.
So, the big and building question is whether Norman ‘makes it’ as a comic with a death gimmick, or makes the front page when he gets caught for his crimes. But ultimately the film doesn’t go anywhere beyond this point; there’s no ending to give away here, because there’s no real end to the film. The frustrated comic kills people not because it’s funny, but because his other attempts at fame and fortune have been unsuccessful. It’s an entertaining idea, but with a 75-minute running time it goes on a bit long with a concept and execution that might have been better suited to short film format.
I had at first thought that perhaps Norman was completely delusional rather than actually homicidal, as aside from his talking to himself the applause track that accompanies some of his actions (anything from exercise to murder) comes literally from out of nowhere. This made me think that maybe the same was occurring during Norman’s ‘appearances’ on stage, King of Comedy style, and that the entire film was unfolding only in his mind. But while the Comedy Club audience is never actually shown, other comedians (Bill Santiago, Rosie Sharp) do share the same stage, and Norman’s interactions with the bartender and a few other individuals give the film a more grounded feel, indicating that the entire thing is not just some twisted fantasy of his.
Actually I Hate You possesses more of the attributes of a documentary than a fantasy. The camera closely follows Norman’s activities and habits, not only catching him promoting murder onstage (“Murder is fun!”) and conducting it off-stage, but catching him in conversation with his few acquaintances, at play in the city’s vacant lots, and at home with his cats. Between his monologues and his discussions with friends, not to mention his habit of murder, the viewer is given a very intimate glimpse into the life of Norman. Which, as frequently isolated as it is, and combined with settings that are often either close and/or darkened interiors or deserted sections of New York City, is somewhat sad and lonely despite the frequent stand-up bits. The slightly claustrophobic feeling this imparts does lend credence to Norman’s desperate need to break away from his current situation, but it also seems to extend the duration of the feature uncomfortably.
In other areas, the effects are very simple, generally of the splash-of-blood variety, and a pleasantly bland piano score accompanies some scenes. The DVD contains no special features (aside from chapter selection).
As Oddo’s first feature film, I Hate You showcases a promising cinematic vision accomplished in a mature style. It will be interesting to see his next work, one perhaps not as influenced by a working partnership with the subject/screenwriter/producer.
-Crites
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
