The Call Out

The misadventures of a clumsy washing machine repairman.

Barry (Gammage) fixes up washing machines for a living and he is also a family man. One day, he is called to take care of a machine in a restaurant, where he encounters an unusual man (Rutter).

This enjoyable comedy relies mostly on slapstick humour. The audience follows poor Barry around, as he deals with difficult customers, who pretty much ignore him and do not acknowledge his work. The majority of the narrative takes place inside the restaurant, with Barry interacting with Rutter's character, while at the same time trying to do his job. Barry is a bit careless and bumps into people or knocks things over, creating funny moments that are the highlights of this film. The strange man he meets at the restaurant seems to be managerial as he knows where things are and constantly appears and leaves rather suddenly. Generally, the atmosphere is lighthearted throughout, although there are also moving scenes.

The screenplay explores extensively the life of Barry and Gammage's performance is vital in order to make the film work and he does a great job. Barry is a polite and hard-working guy, who also happens to be quite clumsy. His pleasant and childlike personality will most likely earn the viewer's approval and one will probably feel for him as he is unacknowledged and treated badly by customers and keeps on having accidents.

Director of photography Laurence Scott develops good cinematography and the entertaining music goes well with the comedic atmosphere.

This short provides an insight into the life of a decent, careless and unappreciated person. With plenty of humorous accidents and some heartwarming moments, this viewing offers an amusing experience.