Poster Image used with permission of the director of the film.
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Review #343 of 365
Movie Review of WestAcre (2006) [UR] 88 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $10.50
Where Viewed: HOME on the Projection Screen TV due to total shut down of all movie theatres due to the Unexpected Blizzard of 2006
When 1st Seen: 20 December 2006
Time: 4:55 p.m.
Film's Official Website
DVD Release Date: unscheduled
Directed by: Patrick Swinnea
Written by: Patrick Swinnea
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Jason Henning (Alice in Wasteland) • Neal McMillen • Josh Botana • Ryan Arthur Kemp • Taiesha Anderson • Rachael Palmer • Russell S. Phillips
When independent film makers make a film and ready it for consideration by film festivals in hopes that it will either get backed for limited distribution or bought up by a big distribution company, the DVD they make to send to film critics and festival staff members for evaluation is called a 'screener'. I was lucky enough to receive the screener for WestAcre, Patrick Swinnea's new independent film set mostly in a mall and surrounding the lives of mall employees, and get the opportunity to review the film prior to it appearing on the public scene.
"…the characters are among the most unique and off beat…this year outside of Little Miss Sunshine…captures accurately…one of the 80s greatest contribution to Americana—the mega mall."
For anyone who has ever worked in a mall, the film WestAcre, named for a once-thriving mall now on the decline due to on-line shopping, and the opening of bigger, better malls, will resonate on deeper levels than those who have just shopped in them. The story concerns a week in the lives of several employees as they dream, according to press materials, "…of being a whole lot awesomer than they really are!" There's Harrison Roberts, "Like Harrison Ford with a different last name," as the character says in the film, played by Jason Henning, Shift Lead for Outdoor Security, who is always on the prowl for mall thieves and new, female mall employees to whom his reputation has not preceded his chance to ask them out. The not-oblivious-to-his-own-nerdiness Harrison is countered by the lady's man cell phone salesman, Lorenzo (Neal McMillen) who, though he still lives with his mom, manages to be the first to get his grip firmly on any new hotties in the mall. Assistant mall manager, Wayne Miller (Josh Botana) pines away his days secretly hoping to move to Hollywood and turn his idea of a zombie bride into a feature film meanwhile engaging in mall minutia such as producing the weekly mall newsletter and hiring new mall staff. One of the people he hires to be his assistant is a guy named Rohan (Ryan Arthur Kemp), a blossoming musician whom Wayne will later try to help turn into a star by recording and editing the most amazing music video of all time. Working under Harrison is Brandon Kowalski (Leigh Nichols Miller), a college student who barely makes ends meet doing this mall security job. Sara, a neophyte at the Salon Salon, catches Harrison's eye as well as that of Lorenzo—who do you think she's going to pick? Activities during the week culminate with a huge party thrown by Lorenzo for all mall employees. Moreover, Wayne has selected that to be the time and venue for the debut of Rohan's new music video he filmed. During the week, there is plenty of mall drama with Harrison and Brandon setting up stakeouts to catch the car radio thief, Lorenzo getting very attached to Sara much to the dismay and eventual torture of Harrison who makes it clear to Sara that Lorenzo is spreading gossip about her, and Rohan's on-again-off-again band becomes the obsession of Wayne who volunteers to film the video and make the demo happen.
While the life lessons might be a bit underdeveloped, the comedy in the film is mostly quite funny and entertaining. A drawn out conversation between Wayne and the Mall Manager over the cut outs (a gopher or an eagle) and the impact the use of each or both would have on customers was hilarious and a perfect example of the kind of comedy and timing that Mr. Swinnea has utilized in his film. There is no way I would have thought this film would be this funny upon first hearing about it. However, the situations and the characters are among the most unique and off beat as I've seen in an independent film this year outside of Little Miss Sunshine. Bearing some resemblance to a faux documentary at times, the film occasionally veers off track. Still, it captures accurately, as any mall employee would concur, the lives, times, and inter-store shennaigans of mall workers across the land making it a interesting and mostly entertaining peek into one of the 80s greatest contribution to Americana—the mega mall.
While the life lessons might be a bit underdeveloped, the comedy in the film is mostly quite funny and entertaining. A drawn out conversation between Wayne and the Mall Manager over the cut outs (a gopher or an eagle) and the impact the use of each or both would have on customers was hilarious and a perfect example of the kind of comedy and timing that Mr. Swinnea has utilized in his film. There is no way I would have thought this film would be this funny upon first hearing about it. However, the situations and the characters are among the most unique and off beat as I've seen in an independent film this year outside of Little Miss Sunshine. Bearing some resemblance to a faux documentary at times, the film occasionally veers off track. Still, it captures accurately, as any mall employee would concur, the lives, times, and inter-store shennaigans of mall workers across the land making it a interesting and mostly entertaining peek into one of the 80s greatest contribution to Americana—the mega mall.
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