The Plot:
It's the start of the 2002 college football season, and Division III Hampden-Sydney, one of the last all male universities in the nation, is getting prepared. With a wealth of returning talent and a coaching staff finally tapping into said skill sets, it promises to be a big year for the team. No one is happier for their projected success than Walter "Shorty" Simms. An on-campus fixture for the last 28 years, the assistant equipment manager and all around school handyman is the squad's toughest critic. He's also their biggest cheerleader. Did we mention that Shorty has Down's Syndrome, and was diagnosed as incapable of living past the age or two? That was over five decades ago, and when his father, Dr. Walter Simms Sr. came to Hampden-Sydney, he brought Shorty with him. Even after his dad passed, the avid sports fan has been the institution's biggest booster. And with the longstanding rivalry with Randolph-Macon entering its 107th year, the players are going to need all of Shorty's special mojo.

The DVD:
While it tends to drift between too many storylines, and only gets focused toward the end of the narrative, Shorty is still a very sweet, very sentimental documentary. Granted, first time filmmakers Daniel F. Doyle and Michael Furno could have concentrated on any one of Hampden-Sydney College's unusual elements - it's long, illustrious history (it's been around since...1775!!!), its status as only one of three four-year all male universities in America, it's long standing football tradition (they've been playing Randolph Mason for over a century!!!), or the many illustrious alumni. Even on a personal level, the West Virginia school measures big time educational goals and premiums with small town values and virtues. The decision to focus on Walter "Shorty" Simms is a natural and quite obvious one. Here's Radio without the ridiculous turn by Cuba Gooding Jr., a slightly sentimental story that meshes parts of Daniel Kraus' groundbreaking Jefftowne with every sports cliché ever created. The results go a bit catawampus at first, our directors unable to find a firm creative objective. But once the football season starts and Shorty gears up for his annual obsession, the movie makes up for lost time.

Indeed, had Doyle and Furno started out by looking at the football team, bringing Shorty in slowly, revealing backstory and historic significance as part of each game's dynamic, this movie would be masterful. Even better, the school could be the source for most of the narrative, showing how its traditions and idiosyncrasies led to Shorty's long term residency. Instead, we get snippets of each, the story jumping wildly between concepts before finally settling on a more personal, biographical approach. Luckily, Simms is a solid subject, neither as cloyingly cutesy or roughhewed and tantrum tumble as we've come to expect from those considered 'handi-capable'. Instead, he comes across as what he is - a complicated human being who has a hard time distilling his thoughts into complex sentences. Instead, everything about Shorty is certain and direct. He doesn't just like people, he "loves" them. He doesn't just live to do his job, he thrives on it. His older brother builds a wonderful past portrait of the sibling he sees as a source of inspiration. His many words pay off in a highly emotional manner when we learn about a terrible tragedy that struck the family.

Perhaps the poignant pinnacle of this very emotional movie is the moment when Shorty is inducted into the school's Hall of Fame - the same honor bestowed on his late father and namesake. Fretting over his speech, he becomes belligerent and angry. But the minute his name is announced, he melts in a pool of untapped feelings that simply flood forth. It's not long before everyone in the audience is standing to applaud and wiping the occasional tear from their eye. It's a sentiment shared by the viewer at home. Because Doyle and Furno decide to take such a scattershot approach, because their kitchen sink storyline gives us plenty of perspective, it makes the last act award a stirring five handkerchief hug. That the big game gets the last word, acting as a possible reward for Shorty's many birthday wishes (he just wants to see Hampden-Sydney defeat Randolph Mason), is the frosting on the friendliest of cinematic cakes. Though it could have used a firmer editorial hand, considering the wealth of tangential material available (and eventually utilized), there is still a wonderful experience to be had here. Just remember that Shorty the film is not as direct and decisive as Shorty the man and you'll have a wonderfully winning time.

The Video:
Presented in a video-heavy 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, Shorty has some nominal technical issues. The use of a handheld camera delivers the kind of washed out, slightly cinema vérité style that might look compelling in film class, but will have format purists palpitating. The colors are frenetic, the details delivered in between waves of unclear imagery. The standard defects are also present - flaring, bleeding, and legitimate lighting issues. Still, it never takes away from the story, and in some instances, keeps the narrative authentic and real.

The Audio:
The Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 mix is nothing special. Because of a minor impediment, all of Shorty's dialogue is subtitled. It can make for a weird read/listen experience. Also, there are times when the internal microphone dynamic of the recording lets down the film. Many of the football sequences are rendered aggravating by the amount of distortion and over modulation. At least the voice over narration and sitdown interviews are clean and crisp.

The Extras:
The DVD, released by Revolution Earth and Reel Indies, is tamely tricked out with some minor added content. There is an interesting making-of, our director's defending their choices and discussing the difficulties they faced. There are also two incredibly corny music videos - one rap oriented, the other inspired by the likes of Hilary Duff - and a collection of trailers. Not the best bit of substantive context possible, but considering the film it's complementing, it's not that bad.

Final Thoughts:
Shorty is one of those films that's hard to hate. It may do many things wrong, and rely on sentimentality and cliché to win us over, but damn if we don't drink in every manipulative draft. Easily earning a Recommended rating, this is the kind of documentary that demands attention if only because it sheds a light on a time, a place, and a person that many of us will never ever interact with. Who knew that Hampden-Sydney existed, that it was so old, that it's been playing football for so many decades, and that among its staff sits a truly inspiration individual. Actually, that last part is more or less predicable. Every town has a story like this one. Luckily, Shorty's tale - when it's allowed to be told - is terrific.

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