Quirky family comedies are kith and kin to slasher films in terms of being a breaking-in point to the movie business. They have a tried and true formula, are conceptually an easy sell and are guaranteed to have audience-pleasing elements. Slashers have knife-into-flesh (which horror fan-boys seem to adore) and Quirky Family Comedies have, well, quirky families - who among you doesn't have (or at least had in the past) a quirky family? Boone Style pours on the quirk in an attempt to launch writer/director Mas Gardner into the Hollywood firmament. While no classic among the crowded genre, it has enough laughs, good humor and silliness to occasionally tickle the hardened movie-watcher's heart.

The set-up is clean and simple, the Boone family is spending a day in a Des Moines backyard for a family reunion. Little Ruby (Katie Hermanson) narrates and introduces us to the Boone clan, complete with the kooky Aunt and Uncle (vegan, no kids, spoiled dog) senile grandparents, detached patriarchs, overbearing moms, precocious kids, and wary older siblings including Tom, (Mas Gardner) a single man trying to make a go of it in Hollywood. Throughout three meals and a bedtime ritual, goofy family antics are lobbed at us with welcome regularity, and before it's all through pretty much everyone has learned a lesson. It's not ground-breaking stuff, for sure, but amusing and with many laugh-out-loud moments.

Highlights include the youngest Boones. Ruby spends the day convincing her sister that school is going to be a living hell, Ruby's cousin has an imaginary friend that he takes way too seriously, and various and sundry others are physically tormented in comic ways which can't help but give you the giggles. Grandparents too have traits we'll all recognize, as each in turn falls into some surreal slapstick situation. Best of all is Gardner himself. Tom's wholly sincere slickster delusions are delivered with the best acting chops of the ensemble, while his character is actually the most believable and likeable. Gardner clearly has an eye and ear for family dynamics, and when he's not tying things down with mawkish sentimentality and lessons his madcap leanings frequently hit the mark.

But before we learn to trust our hearts and the like we get a cartload of silliness, sometimes too-broad characterizations, ridiculous family games and dance routines. Aside from the life-lessons aspect, the aimless, rambling shamblings of an extended family just trying to get through a 'special day' with sanity intact makes for a pleasant gag-filled brain-rester. If only all the performances could live up to the timing and geniality. Gardner, Hermanson, Stephanie Brown (as sister Lori) and the other kids acquit themselves nicely, but the rest of the adults, unfortunately, can't seem to rise to the occasion, with a lot of strained line readings and exaggerated exasperation that drags Boone Style towards amateur-ville.

The DVD

Video:
Boone Style is the style of the 1.78:1 ratio transfer, perfect for your widescreen TV. The picture is solid and clean, with no apparent compression artifacts. It's not razor sharp, but is otherwise a good picture. Colors are natural, if not a little washed-out or bluish in some of the evening barbecue scenes. It looks like they struggled with getting ambient light to match-up and work for them during some of those outdoor scenes.

Sound:
2.0 Dolby AC3 Stereo Audio fits the bill just fine. The Quirky Family Comedy is not a genre known for complicated sound design, and Boone Style doesn't buck the trend. It does, however, have clear audio with decent levels, soundtrack music doesn't compete with dialog, and everything sounds pretty ducky.

Extras:
Trailers for eight other Reel Indies films (including Boone Style) will whet your appetite for stuff you can't see at your multiplex. About five minutes of Behind The Scenes and Outtakes are pretty amusing. As usual the kids steal the show, but that fat guy in the pool? Ummm .... Ten minutes of Deleted Scenes feature an inordinate amount of overly-dynamic camera work, but are still entertaining, for once (as far as extras are concerned) the deleted scenes aren't obviously in need of deletion. From the Extras misnomer department is the Director Commentary a five minute featurette of semi-self-conscious comedic cast interviews (regarding the director) and Gardner himself talking about the film. We learn that most all the actors are local amateurs, which explains a lot. Amusing, nonetheless. The Cast Commentary is the same bit, an eight minute featurette with the actors talking about their previous experience, and on-set experiences. Wouldn't you know it? The kids are the most entertaining.

Final Thoughts:
Mas Gardner's quirky family comedy Boone Style piles on the nicely paced jokes for a few good laughs, as Gardner proves he has a firm grip on what makes families tick, and how to exploit family tics for the funny-funny. However, strained sentimentality and obvious teaching moments combine with a number of sub-par performances to keep Boone Style from rising out of the crowded pack of other quirky family comedies. Good for an evening of mild amusement, Boone Style earns a tentative Rent It vote, but only if you've seen all the other family comedies before.

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