SHORT FILM REVIEW
WITH INTEREST
Joey wants a drastic career change, from hit-man to comedian.
THIS MAN HAS a really big problem. He dreams of being an entertainer, a stand-up comedian promoting joy and laughs through a kick-ass routine or two. The problem is that he's stuck in a dead-end job. Literally. Joey (Anis Maknojia) is a debt collector with a side order of hitman; and if you can think of any profession further away from stand-up comedian, I'm all ears.
As With Interest kicks off with a bangin' beat and some quick, bustling city shots, we quickly become a fly on the wall as two mugs are laying a smackdown on some poor soul tied to a chair. It's at this point they're interrupted by our anti-hero Joey, commanding them to keep it down. "I can't concentrate" he yells and we're informed that he's studying his routine for an upcoming show where he will deliver his comedy publicly for the first time. The look of dumbfounded amazement emanating from "Tweedle-dee" and "Tweedle-dum" is priceless but Joey realizes it's time to get down to the business at hand. He needs to eat, and right now comedy should be the last thing on his mind. THE NOT-SO-COOL SIDE OF THINGS IS ONE OF THE REASONS JOEY WANTS TO LEAVE THE MOBSTER LIFE BEHIND HIM
Being a debt collector or hit-man is not a glamourous job according to Joey, it's not like the movies let on. It's dirty, messy, and even he gets the short end of the beat-down stick sometimes. The not-so-cool side of things is one of the reasons Joey wants to leave the mobster life behind him, and start fresh. But it's not just the violence getting to him, it's people like Carlito (Aaron Dominguez) that really make this job tough. Carlito is Joey's nemesis, and whenever he shows up, things always seem to get complicated. Joey is flamboyant, abrasive, and thinks he's a natural joker, but apparently also gets the job done. It's because of Carlito, that Joey finds himself in an unfortunate situation.
TANGO HIRED JOEY TO DO A JOB, AND THAT JOB WAS BUMBLED IN A BIG WAY
Carlito has been sent by Sofia (Dre Davis) to keep tabs on Joey, and that's definitely not a good thing, Sophia is the boss boss. If she's lost faith in you, that just might be it. Might as well start writing your will. However, Sophia is not Joey's most pressing problem. Right now, it's the call from Tango (Patrick R. Walker) that has Joey up in arms. Tango had hired Joey to do a job, and that job was bumbled in a big way. Now, he needs Joey to make up for things and honestly? To answer no is not really an option.
YOU'RE DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO GET BORED
I want to make one thing clear about With Interest, this is a very well done short film. Its not without it's small faults, maybe a little more filler than was needed, mostly surrounding the shots of the city. But it's all really minor stuff that most people won't even notice. This is also a very quick short film, without credits probably only ten minutes. So you're definitely not going to get bored. The fast-paced editing style, dialog, and even the responses from the cast scream comedy - dark comedy.
Aaron Dominguez, who wrote and directed, seems to have had only one goal. To captivate an audience. It occurs to me that pieces of multiple genres are present, but With Interest doesn't seem to focus on that, only the entertainment value. I was a little annoyed with how this short film ended, but I'm also hoping to get to revisit the world of With Interest sometime soon, and see what comes next. But one thing is crystal clear. If you're looking for some quick fun, this is definitely worth the time. With Interest is fun, smart, and witty - and that as they say is that. DROP A COMMENT, RATE THE MOVIE, OR SHARE?
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