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★★★★
Directed by: #MattVella
Written by: #MattVella
Starring: #AdrianneArmida, #ShaneMillward, #ZoePanaretos
We’ve all been there. You introduce your friends to your new amazing partner that you’ve talked their ears off for the past few weeks. As soon as they excuse themselves to the bathroom, you realise your friends look crestfallen. “So…what do you think?” you ask, beaming. Your friends predictably stumble over their white lies. If you haven’t been in that position, you’ve most definitely met a mate’s new flame and thought, “but what do they see in you?” Matt Vella perfectly distils an awkward introduction of a best friend’s new partner with wit and charisma.
Barry (Shane Millward) is sensitive, kind and he’s been single for a while. He’s excited to show off his new girlfriend, Alex (Adrianne Armida), to his coupled-up best friends, Sarah (Zoe Panaretos) and Anthony (Efkan Cetin). Only, they’ve been waiting at the low-rent Italian restaurant for hours for Alex to turn up. They’re just about wondering whether Barry has made her up. Then – she appears – in a fog of cigarette smoke and stomping combat boots. The innocent Barry might not be the best fit for the rebellious Alex. She’s a murderous, cut-throat, drug dealing scammer.
Matt Vella’s comedy short is a whip-smart piece. Although many of the jokes rely on scatological and sexual humour, there’s a wit that elevates the comedy and doesn’t just reduce the script to a pile of nonsensical toilet humour. Vella’s script serves to constantly poke fun at Barry’s besotted nature. After Sarah flees to the bathroom with Alex following her, Anthony tries to figure out why Barry has settled on Alex, of all people, and asks, “what has she given you?” Barry smiles as if Alex has brought a ray of sunshine into his life. “Chlamydia,” he answers. The comic timing of the entire cast is a credit to this film.
Where the acidity lies within the script and the cast’s brilliant comedic turns in their respective roles, the music adds a weird veneer to this dark and naughty plot. From the get-go, the musical queues don’t remind the audience of a dark comedy with a suggestion of murder, but rather the sickly-sweet nature of American sitcoms à la Friends. Each automated musical cue seemed to suggest that tired canned laughter would follow immediately after.
She’s Not Your Type is guaranteed to having you flashback to an awkward first meeting in your own life, but it isn’t just the relatability that makes us laugh and squirm. Barry’s inability to realise that he is, in fact, dating the woman from hell is reminiscent of Hugh Laurie’s Prince Regent from Blackadder, who is just as easily tricked.
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