Reviewer's Bias*
Loves:
Likes: Jennifer Tilly, Joe Pantoliano, Bronson Pinchot
Dislikes: Bad camera work
Hates: True losers

The Movie
Despite a culture that lauds the lesser-able and makes the special feel guilty for having more of anything, the simple fact of life is, if there are to be winners in this world, there must be losers. And truthfully, there's many more losers than there are winners. The problem is, to admit to one's self that they are a loser is one of the hardest things a person can do. Therefore, people lie to themselves, to make themselves believe they are winners.

Luckily for those who call Elliot (Pantoliano) a friend, he's there to let them know where they stand in life. Via his rant-filled newsletter, which he pays a college kid to post anywhere and everywhere in New Jersey, Elliot attacks the concept of self-delusion, the only thing that keeps losers like his friends from killing themselves. Of course, Elliot himself is a loser, despite an ability to put together an interesting newsletter and an even more impressive ability to bag a local crossing guard (Jennifer Tilly). Unable to face his own status, he puts off attacking himself again and again.

His own active self-delusion smacks him in the face when his oldest friend, Richard, visits from Los Angeles. One of Hollywood's biggest dealmakers, Richard is everything Elliot isn't, especially successful, and worse, he won't talk about Elliot's screenplay. His visit is a flashpoint for Elliot, who approaches self-realization, watching as the carefully constructed shell of protection he has built around himself slowly cracks and reveals the very fragile man inside.

If this was a mainstream film, the plot progression from this point would be obvious, as Elliot sees the wrongs of his life, turns things around and gets his life on track. Whether he does or not won't be revealed here, but suffice to say, the path to the climax is the path least traveled. There are no easy answers for Elliot, or the rest of his group of friends. The only solution is to continue to lie or begin to live. Neither will be a panacea.

Pantoliano is just about perfect for the role as the king of the losers, and Tilly takes to her role as a suburban housewife with gusto. They are really the glue that holds the film together, creating a pair of memorable characters who are real and believable, and sadder yet, people you know.

Elliot could have been a caricature of the self-important writer who knows they are on the brink of something big, but instead, he's an everyman whose dreams have been crushed and replaced with bitterness towards the successful, even if they are lifelong friends. Only by casting the winners as losers can the loser suceed, a maxim that certainly plays itself out as Pantoliano makes a winner of a character out of his schlub.

The DVD
On one DVD, in an insert-less standard kepcase, arrives Second Best. The disc features a full-frame, animated main menu, with options to view the film select scenes, view trailers and set-up the audio. The scene selection menu has still previews and titles for each chapter, while the audio set-up lets you choose to listen to the commentary (see The Extras) or not. There are no alternate audio tracks or subtitles, though the film is closed captioned.

The Quality
A capable DP, cameraman and lighting crew seem to have been out of this film's budget range, and as a result the film looks every bit the indie film, showing all the signs of a low-budget effort. The image jitters, frames bounce and colors appear alternately dull and washed-out. Pixilation is obvious along sharp edges. Bright colors, especially red, burn hard during the bluer scenes and ring against darker backgrounds.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is fine for the material, delivering the dialogue cleanly, while maintaining a separation between the sparingly-used music and speech. There's not much more to say about the sound of this film, except that there's nothing close to a dynamic mix at work.

The Extras
The feature-length audio commentary with Pantoliano and Eric Weber, the writer/director, is a pretty good eye-opener for anyone with dreams of creating their own independent film. The pair talk about how hard the effort was, the escalating costs and the mistakes that were made along the way. Anyone interested in low-budget filmmaking should enjoy a listen to this track.

The package lists a photo gallery, but I can't find it on the disc, and there's no special features menu. You can find four trailers, including the preview for this film, along with Murderball and The Aristocrats.

The Bottom Line
If not for the talent of Pantoliano, this film would likely be unbearable. To get down in the muck with the losers of the world is not a hobby most would take on willingly, which makes a film about suffering alongside the victims of suburban ennui a tough sell. In the end, your own patience with the loser caste will determine your interest in this world. The DVD looks and sounds like the independent film it is, and the extras and slim, but interesting. Before diving into this depressed storyline, a rental is recommended.

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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.