Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Alan Rickman, good indie films, comedies
Likes: Mike Binder, Janeane Garofalo
Dislikes: Logic holes
Hates:

The Movie
Mike Binder might be one of the most popular unknown filmmakers working today. The writer/director of respected films like Indian Summer and The Upside of Anger, popular TV series "The Mind of the Married Man" and the vilified "Blankman," suffered the curse of the serious comic when he cast Adam Sandler in his biggest release to date, the post-9/11 film Reign Over Me, which got good reviews but tepid audience response. As a result, he remains a non-household name, but one who seems to work consistently, bringing life to each everyman character he gets his hands on.

Everyman is exactly what you'd call Matthew Barnes (possibly related to Micky "The Mind of the Married Man" Barnes and Marty The Sex Monster Barnes?), a work-a-day schlub who's dragged his wife Linda (Janeane Garofalo) to London, where his job has transferred him, in the latest of work-related moves. Unfortunately for him, his British counterpart, John Gissing (Alan Rickman), has failed to handle preparations for Matthew's arrival, which results in a number of delays, hassles and general fiascos. As a result, his first impression with the new bosses, including an uptight, under-pressure woman, a proper exec and a snooty Frenchman, don't go anywhere near as planned.

Gissing's actions are exactly as planned though, and they send Matthew into a tailspin that is straight out of the traditional comedy playbook. The way Binder and Garofalo play through the hi-jinks, including over-the-top set pieces such as a post-coitus freak-out, a post-attempted-coitus freak-out, and the lengthy, climactic juggling act, is as broad as anything this side of Steve Martin, and results in some legitimate laughs that may leave you feeling a bit guilty because of what led to them. One scene that offers up a European take on "Who's on First?" is so predictable and simple that it would be laughed out of a college screenwriting class, but thanks to the acting, it actually works.

Binder and Garofalo are solid as the Barneses, but they are overwhelmed by Rickman, who takes the limited screentime he's given and creates a memorable character that's equally repugnant and pitiful. Taking the evil of Hans Gruber and blending it with the world weary angel Metatron, Rickman makes John Gissing more than just a desperate suit-wearing villain. Instead, he's a desperate suit-wearing villain who you might want to see win in the end, despite your better judgements. Maybe it's just that Matthew is a bit too nebbish to actually root for, but you'll be happy to see Gissing when he raises his conniving head.

It's also worth mentioning that the score, by The Contender composer Larry Groupe, is about as big a part of this film as any other element, bringing a fun atmosphere that's reminiscent of the emotional orchestral music that marked Blake Edwards and Arthur Hiller's best work. There are scenes in this film where you end up more interested in the music than the action, which is no slam on the film in any way.

Though the film is generally enjoyable, and moves briskly through its 90-minute run-time, there are some serious holes in the plot that pulled me out of the film and distracted me. The main issue was why Matthew would put up with even a fraction of the trouble he faces. Yes, the film attempts to explain it, but the reasons never worked for me, and made it harder to accept the madness as being remotely real, especially when the film became more and more cartoony. By the end, you just have to give in and accept the goof factor and just let the laughter come. You'll feel better for it.

The DVD
Packed in a standard keepcase, this one-disc release features a static anamorphic widescreen menu that offers options to play the film, select scenes and check out special features. There are no audio options, no subtitles and no closed captioning.

The Quality
This anamorphic widescreen transfer, which is oddly bordered on the left and right with black bars, doesn't look so hot, probably reflecting the film's low budget. The image is soft and lacking in detail, and the colors, though appropriate, can be dull in places. Thanks to some excessive grain and noticeable "cigarette burns," the movie looks older than it is, though it is free of digital artifacts and dirt and damage.

The audio, delivered as a straightforward Dolby Digital 2.0 track, is solid, but unremarkable, befitting the material, as the dialogue is clear and the fun score is strong and well-separated from the rest of the audio. The only negative comes at the 46 minute mark, where the audio falls incredibly out of sync with the film and some of the audio goes missing, resulting in a minor joke falling flat and an odd old kung-fu movie feel. It's hard to figure out exactly what happened, but it's extremely distracting.

The Extras
Up first is an audio commentary with Binder and his editor, Roger Nygard (director of Trekkies.) A friendly track, the chat covers the filmmaking effort and spends a good deal of time praising the cast, one of the few forms of currency available to indie flicks. The discussion does stray a bit at times, but it goes into interesting areas, like the effect of 9/11 on Binder's character's motivations (after the movie was finished), the difficulties with distribution and Binder's plans for the film's future. It's a good listen if you enjoy the film.

"On the Streets and Behind the Scenes" is a three-minute montage of footage from the set, showing production and down-time, which is worth a look, even if you don't learn much about the film. It's followed by almost 11 minutes of deleted scenes, which were excised from various points in the film. One segment, a large one, was wisely cut, as when watching it, you have a hard time figuring out where it came from, unless you give it quite a bit of thought. If included, it could have brought the film to a crashing halt, and is better enjoyed here as a curio.

Three minutes of outtakes are an amusing little bonus, before the DVD wraps with a three-minute montage of still photos, accompanied by some of the film's jazzy score.

The Bottom Line
The Search for John Gissing isn't likely to end up on many people's Top 10 list, but it's a solid 90 minutes of fun, marked by a couple of enjoyable throwback screwball set pieces and solid performances by the cast, especially Rickman, who is simply a wonderful bad guy and an underrated comic actor. There are certainly a lot of holes in the plot, but if you can suspend your disbelief, you can have a good time is this old-school comedy. The DVD isn't going to blow you away, with a less-than-stellar image and average soundtrack, but the extras add to the film nicely. If you like the old Ealing comedies of the '40s and '50s, this is a reasonable attempt to recapture that spirit, and is worth your time.

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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.