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★★★★ Directed by: Alasdair Lindsay, Matthew Vivian, Josh Harper Starring: Zack, Danny, Troy, Chad Vivian, Matthew Vivian, John Broad, Ellie Ford and Ketziah Broad Short Film Review by: Rachel Pullen
Boy bands are kind of kick ass right, remember Nsync, 98 degrees...Blue, so many classics, so many tight tops and overly gelled hairstyles.
So many good times, and even if you don’t like the music [does anyone really?] we can really enjoy the comedy that they bring to our lives...much like the comedy brought into my life by watching Four Straight Guys: A Bendy Road [did you like my segway...you’re welcome, that’s quality writing right there].
Four Straight Guys: A Bendy Road is the story of a group of young men on their quest to make it big in the world of pop music, and their big break comes in the form of a competition where they could win....a hundred billion dollars.
Why is prize money more important sounding when you say it’s in dollars?...A hundred billion pounds just sounds rubbish, personally I would be more compelled if a pizza was thrown in... Problem is they need 4 members and they only have 3, so off to recruit a new young boy they go, and it’s not long before they become a 4-piece.
But all is not kittens and tank tops in boy band land, oh no, it’s not long until they fall apart and arguments ensure, jeopardizing the future of the band as well as that coveted hundred billion dollars...but no pizza...
This film is what can only be described as classic British humour, and I actually did a laugh out loud at one point, which is hard to get out of me, mainly because I’m a robot, so to say it’s funny is an understatement.
The humour is reminiscent of Alan Partridge [yes you will cringe...a lot] spliced with The Inbetweeners, awkward teens dancing in matching blazers is going to make anyone recoil and laugh all at the same time, but don’t shy away, these kids really now how to tell a joke or two.
The acting is not the best from the get go but I can’t figure out if that was done intentionally, either way it adds to the charm, making the characters more dorky and adorable, the cheap production and often questionable sound quality can too be overlooked when you get sucked into the slapstick comical world of these young guys and their journey to the top.
What I found more enjoyable about this film was not the lols, oh no, it was the fact that they actually performed their act at their schools talent show in real life, and we of course have front row seats to their performance, a clever and hilarious addition to the film that makes it all the more engaging.
Let’s be honest, this has been shot on a tight budget, by a group of friends who are clearly not trained to be in front of the camera, but what they lack in those skills is made up for in their ability to story tell, make you laugh and employ the importance of comedic timing.
So get your mates round and prep that karaoke machine if you’re still living in the 90’s because Four Straight Guys will have you singing along to all those boy band hits before you even realise it.
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