SXSW movie review and talent Q/A: Otis

Extolling the virtues of underwire bras.

by John P. Meyer

Director Tony Krantz informs us prior to the world premiere screening (on Friday, March 7) that Otis is "a political film in addition to being a satire."

Uh oh - I thought this was just going to be a bloody serial killer-meets-outraged-family revenge tale.

Turns out we're both right, and that Otis is the sum of several parts (legs, arms, etc.) stitched together in Frankenstein fashion and shocked into life using the underlying shame, discomfort, guilt or what-have-you which we may or may not be feeling as citizens of a proud republic bent on striking back (and forward) at those out to do us harm. And woe betide anyone who might be identified as such an actual or potential harm-doer.

Now that this pesky political thread has been worked, let's tuck into the meat of the piece, which involves a comfortably dysfunctional suburban family about to be victimized (well, one of them will, anyway) by a serial killer who's been making off with teenage blond females. Cheerleader types. Such as Kim (Tarah Paige), who finds herself at wit's (and life's) end when she attempts to break free of her captor's torture chamber and ends up being braised in the bathtub as a result of the accidental introduction of an electrical appliance. Ouch.

Unfortunately for the Lawson family, one of their members - Riley - is cut from the finest of cheerleader cloth, and is also -sadly - nice enough to the pizza man that he takes particular notice of her. After she reaches into the depths of her blue jean pocket to extract a wadded up dollar bill as a tip, he luxuriates (back at the car) in the scented nuance of the currency and is blinded by a shaft of hallelujah light from above. We take this as a sure sign that Riley is about to become pizza meat.

The fact that she does not immediately do so is attributable to her willingness to play along with Otis' sick football-jock-woos-cheerleader games in order to survive. These role-play sequences are made all the more discomforting (and simultaneously hilarious) because Otis - acting the high school football hero - is portrayed by Bostin Christopher, who's a really big guy carrying more pounds around his middle than Riley's entire minuscule frame could support. Although Bostin's rather a dapper looking dude in person, for purposes of this role he's shaved his head and essayed the coke bottle glasses that serve to emphasize his unattractiveness and feral appearance.

Meanwhile, back at the Lawson house, parents Will (Daniel Stern) and Kate (Illeana Douglas) have called in the FBI. Sadly for them (and amusingly for us), the agent in charge - Hotchkiss (Jere Burns) - turns out to have the most insensitive and inept approach to victim family interpersonal relationships ever. When he boast about his 80% recovery rate, one of his fellow agents points out that this refers to 80% of victim body parts. YIKES!

After days of humiliation and both verbal and physical abuse, Riley has a chance to escape the clutches of her tormentor; as a result of the fact that her mom forced her to put on a bra before leaving the house on the day she was grabbed, she also has the tools required to do so. (Trust me: it works in context.)

Riley's escape and her identification of the perpetrator's address (to her parents - not to the authorities) lead to the gruesome finale of the film, which finds Will, Kate and juvenile semi-delinquent son Reed (Jared Kusnitz) deciding to take retribution into their own hands. While Riley recuperates in the hospital under the watchful eye (and bothersome relentless questioning) of the gum-smacking Agent Hotchkiss, the three able-bodied Lawsons descend on Otis' house with a satchel full of filleting knives, power tools and - in Reed's case - a 12 gauge pump shotgun.

After staking out the house, they succeed in binding, gagging and then going to hideous work on the person who walks in the door. Just one problem: it's not Otis, but his concerned brother Morton (Kevin Pollak, foul-mouthed and feisty). Will blind vigilante justice prevail? I'm not saying. As you'll hear in the audio, you'll have a chance to see Otis for yourself when it releases on DVD in a few months.

FBI CODE OF ETHICS?: "What is it that separates you from the people you hunt?" - TV interviewer Rita Vitale (Tracy Scoggins), to agent Hotchkiss

"I like to wear a condom." - Hotchkiss' reply

TOOL TIME: "Will, I love you. Now please, go get some power tools." - Kate to her husband, after he demonstrates some reluctance in regard to their revenge plans

NOTES re. director Tony Krantz and stars roundtable Q/A:

* Talent present: actors Bostin Christopher, Kevin Polllak, Ashley Johnson, Jared Kusnitz, Illeana Douglas, Jere Burns, and writer Erik Jendresen.

* When Tony says that it's doubtful the film will have a theatrical release - and that, in all likelihood, it will go direct to DVD - the guy you can hear cursing loudly is actor Kevin Pollak.

* "We probably shouldn't talk politics here in Texas." - Tony

* "The first draft of the movie was actually much more violent." - followed by general laughter

* The order of actors answering the "most memorable moment" question: Jared, Ashley, Bostin, Illeana, Jere and Kevin.

* Actor Kevin Pollak does a KILLER Chris Walken. (NSFW)

[AUDIO ADVISORY: Just as if you were attending an actual post-film Q/A event, you won't be able to make out some of the audience questions - but you'll infer their content from the answers, which come through loud and clear.]