Screener Review: Clickin' For Love.

So yeah, I finally got a "screener" DVD. Does that mean I'm starting to head in the right direction? Anywho, this isn't about me, but the movie. And this particular movie is actually a documentary. I should say that I'm not a big "doc" person, and it takes a lot for me to really love a documentary. My favorites are the ones that are more narrative (King of Kong or Man on Wire, for instance).

This one, however, is mostly interviews. Director Pablo Pappano interviews a virtual cornucopia (no pun intended) of people who have tried, are trying, or have general opinions about online dating. I believe it was Pappano's goal to make a film that explored and showed the ups and downs of online dating, particularly since he himself found love through the medium. There are plenty of fish to choose from in this doc, from a girl named Rain to an older woman named Judy Garland... and even a middle-aged man who lives and breathes swinging and sex.

First I'd like to talk about the cast of characters. There are probably 4-5 main people with a few others sprinkled in throughout. To me, the majority of these people were pretty unlikable, unfortunately. At the very least, they were unstable, which doesn't shed a positive light on online dating, which I think is the opposite of the point trying to be made with the doc. The Asian guy was borderline offensive. Audrey, I believe her name is, was kinda crazy (like... crazy crazy) and not really allowing me to feel for her. Judy was actually the most likable of the cast. She was just a total sweetheart and I really felt for her story. But the one that stuck out to me, and probably will always stick out to me, is the swinger, Marty. Marty was disgusting yet oddly fascinating and quite funny in an over-the-top caricature kind of way. For the first half of the movie, I found myself just trying to get a handle on this guy. I couldn't believe half the stuff coming out of this guy's mouth, especially in comparison to everyone else. By the time he pulls out the sex swing or the black book, I'm trying not to laugh hysterically at just how absurd he really is (and I mean that in all the right ways, Marty, if you ever read this). The dude is a total hoot and is really one of the most memorable parts of the whole documentary.

There's another guy, too, I wanted to mention. I can't remember his name, but there's a narrative sprinkled throughout the movie of a guy using internet dating for the first time. He just got out of a relationship and wanted something easy. He gets on craigslist and finds a girl where the same thing has happened and she wants something easy. Despite the whole thing being kinda creepy, I really think the movie could have used a lot more of this narrative more often. Like I said earlier, I like my documentaries with fuller narratives. Had there been more of him maybe juxtaposed with the questions and scenarios being asked of the interviewees (kinda like them discussing their experiences and then us seeing one happen first-hand), the movie could have been much tighter.

Another thing I could have used more of was the animated sequences. Around the middle, there were about 2-3 animated flashbacks that reenacted moments that the interviewees discussed. This was a really great idea, and one that really got me excited even in the trailer. But it was horribly underused, and I wish I could have seen more of this.

The way questions are introduced, too, is very creative. Sometimes the questions are typed onto the screen (this was the most common way). Then later, a TV interview is introduced, and the interviewee discussions are based on comments the TV guy mentions. Those, I felt, was really creative and fun. And they were really consistent.

Overall, the cast of characters were insane (literally), and some bizarrely funny. The first 30 minutes are kinda slow, but it picks up after that. Unfortunately, the movie seems to lose purpose for a while, turning from a study of online dating to a focus on the personal lives of these people. While fascinating in most cases, it made the documentary feel unbalanced. The uneven quality either with the scattered narrative case, the coming-and-going of certain interviewees, the unfortunate lack of more animated bits, among other things made it sink ever so slightly for me. However, all that being said, it was all quite entertaining and definitely held my attention. And while the end product could have been a bit tighter, for what it is, I definitely think it's worth a look.


I Am McLovin!

(P.S. I love how the final "where they are now" bits at the end were fun in how they kinda poked fun at these people, showing that the director did realize how strange his cast actually was.)

(P.P.S. For more information you can check out the main website: Clickin' For Love.)

(P.P.P.S. I made a name mistake. I called Audrey, Colleen. That has been fixed.)