The Movie: I, Challenger
The Director: Paul Boyd
The Cast: James Duval, Coy Stewart, Tina Majorino, MC Lyte, Margaret Cho, Gerry Bednob, Daeg Faerc
The Story: Sid, a perennial kid who spends his days playing video games and selling weed, is about to be evicted. Desperate to change his life, he enlists his gaming buddy Logan in a dangerous scheme involving the livestream of a self-burial video.
The Review:
If "stoner movie" is an actual genre then this movie would definitely fall into that category as there is a heck of a lot of weed that is smoked pretty much throughout the entire film. While the movie's primary storyline isn't about weed, the popular plant does play a significant role almost as if it's a character alongside the rest of the cast. When I sat down to watch this movie, I figured it would be good for a few laughs and some corny fun moments and yes it was those things but it is also a genuinely heartwarming and uplifting story.
Right now you might be thinking I could be high for writing that last sentence but it really is true and mostly thanks to James Duval's one hundred percent likable and relatable performance that comes across very Keanu Reeves-ish. Duval manages to take a guy who could easily have been just another unfortunate, drugged out loser type of character and turns him into someone who you would want to hang out with and root for.
Also on board is Tina Majorino although in a very small role that I wish had been fleshed out and given a lot more screen time and same thing with MC Lyte who plays a fairly significant role but with as little screen time as possible. There are several bits and gags that could have been trimmed down to give these two actors more time which would have been a great benefit to the overall production.
I, Challenger keeps from getting buried by going outside the box with a story that is sure to resin-ate with anyone willing to kick back and roll one up. The story has more highs than lows while James Duvall and company light it up with some dope performances.
No comments:
Post a Comment