Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Ensemble films, Good independent films
Likes: Eric Szmanda
Dislikes: DJ Qualls
Hates: Criminals, druggies

The Movie
Jimmy (John Patrick Amedori) is a guy trying to get by with six jobs, a lot of credit cards, a gambling problem and a drug-dealing gig on the side. As is often the case with people living beyond their means, Jimmy finds himself living paychecks to paychecks, and when it all catches up to him, he ends up unable to pay off the one debtor who really matters, his bookie, "Buggering" Bobby Beales. If you understand the nickname, you understand the stakes for Jimmy, which is why he ends up on the path that this movie takes. Coming across a stash of drugs, he takes them, and soon he's racing to sell them before their proper owner finds him.

Jimmy's not the only one with a story, as Heather (Erica Leerhsen) and Allison (Rachel Miner) work out their relationship issues while working as emergency medical techs, Corey (DJ Qualls) and Pedro (Jorge Garcia) cope with a lack of funds and home and Jessica (Jill Ritchie) battles accusations about her fidelity. Anyone who comes in contact with their world is bound to regret it, like Heather's boyfriend Derek the cop ("C.S.I."'s Eric Szmanda), Corey's sister Emily (Michelle Horn) or Jessica's abused friend Carlos (Michael Pena). Of everyone involved, only Carlos, and local tough guy Carter (Shawn Hatosy), are actually good people, though the argument could be made for Corey being a victim of his past. As a result, it won't bother you when they suffer.

As with all films of this type, the players have to come together and cross paths to get the movie to mean anything more than a compilation of random plot lines. The meeting of the mindless takes place at a house party, where Little Athens' finest meet to get completely trashed and screw. It all comes to a head, but not in the way you'd expect. There's a very odd pacing to the climatic party scene, which somewhat makes sense, considering that there's no real pace to the film itself, thanks to a general lack of overall plot. The film very much hangs on the performances, the music (of which there's a good deal) and a visual style that's not exactly innovative, but certainly pleasing, recalling the poetic images of suburban films like Garden State.

Amedori's performance creates a nice-guy-in-a-bad-situation vibe that helps make him into an anti-hero of sorts, which is different from the way the story progressed in The Chumscrubber which explored similar, but higher-income territory. You almost want to pull for him, just as you pity Corey and Carlos, but there are some appetizing possibilities in him failing to dig his way out. Even if you don't like him, there's a chance you'll find someone else to cast your lot with. Despite the screwball arc of the story and some over-the-top moments, the acting on the main characters, and even the smaller roles, like R.J. Knoll's Brad the stoner, makes it all way more real than it might have felt otherwise.

Though at times the movie feels like the results of some serious channel flipping, each little chapter has value, whether it's touches of humor from Garcia's hapless criminal, the madness of Heather's paranoia or the strange turn Jessica's storyline takes. The only negative part of the story is, unfortunately, the ending, which feels stretched out and without any punch. Technically, the way the film concludes should have some meaning when the characters are interesting the rest of the way, but here, it just sputters on the way to fading to black, letting the audience down very slowly. No, it didn't need Benny Hill-style madcap action, but a bit more purpose would have made for a better ending.

The DVD
Packed in a standard keepcase, without an insert, this one-disc release features an animated, anamorphic widescreen main menu, with options to watch the film, select scenes, adjust languages, and check out the special features. Audio options include Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 English tracks, while subtitles are available in Spanish, along with English closed captioning.

The Quality
The very wide anamorphic widescreen transfer looks clean and colorful for the majority of the film, without any dirt or damage, and a good deal of detail in the image. But in the final section of the film, when the sun goes down, the film takes on an excessive amount of grain that at times becomes obnoxious. It's certainly unusual, considering the care that seems to have been taken with the look of the film, including an interesting use of blurring in the opening titles.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack features a nice strong presentation of music, using the sides and rear speakers for enhancement, while crisp, clean dialogue gets pumped through the center channel. The bass channel is most noticeable during the songs, but there's not much of a dynamic sound in the mix. Not that the film lends itself to one, considering how dialogue-heavy it is.

The Extras
The main extra is a feature-length audio commentary from director Tom Zuber, producer Josh Lawler and executive producer Matt Lendach. Their company, Legaci Pictures, is an interesting one, made up of a group of lawyers turned filmmakers, and the track reveals their artistic intent and takes from their relationship as friends to create a pretty informative track full of set stories and indie film tips. The only problem is a tendency for the participants to get caught up watching the film.

Also included is the four-minute Starz Cinema Special Feature "Little Athens: A Look Inside," which is the The disc wraps up with a gallery of trailers, including one for Little Athens.

The Bottom Line
The citizens of Little Athens aren't the lowest of the low. They're worse. They're firmly in the middle, the mediocre hangers-on, living their days in a haze of drugs and sex, hoping to get enough of either to prevent them from thinking too much about the waste of oxygen their lives are. This film is a day-in-the-life look at their struggles to exist, and despite there not being a whole lot of originality to the concept, the execution, from the acting to the production, is pretty entertaining, though a bit rambling. The DVD presents the film with a nice level of quality, for the most part, and a couple of extras to supplement it. Fans of films like Two Days in the Valley will find something to like in this straightforward day trip through the slums.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.