Las Vegas Weekly

June 15, 2008 · 9:01 AM

Philly film crew’s effort, more than film, deserves applause

By John Katsilometes

A group of friends celebrate Harris Malden's ill-fated 25th birthday.

Photo: Courtesy of CineVegas

Film critics have tough jobs. I’ve never been one to assume or expect that the job is merely watching films, and it isn’t only because to be a film critic is to watch a lot of bad films. Without charting the good/bad ratio statistically, I’d bet that there are many more bad films in wide release that critics must review,than good ones. I think you become accustomed to riding out a couple hours worth of bad material and explaining why you think it is bad.

But to me the challenge for film critics it reviewing films that you want to succeed, and keeping that feeling in check as you form a coherent and somewhat objective opinion. I saw such a film on Saturday -- Happy Birthday, Harris Malden. The project is the labor of love (and they do ceaselessly refer to it as “a labor of love”) from an outfit out of Philadelphia called Sweaty Robot. The film centers on a young man named Harris Malden who is celebrating his 25th birthday. For reasons best described as “deeply psychological,” Harris wears a mask of fake facial hair – moustaches and goatees, depending on his mood – and his friends and family buy into this personality quirk until an interloper blurts out the painfully obvious reality at Harris’ birthday party. This sends the young man into something of a tailspin as those around him attempt to mitigate the emotional damage. It is a story, an effort and an upstart film to root for, and I did find myself rooting for the young filmmakers and cast members Nick Gregorio, Eric Levy, Juan Cardarelli, Brigitte Hagerman Susan Slatin and Ben Davidow. The audience at Brendan Theaters was sprinkled with friends and family of Sweaty Robot.

However, Happy Birthday, Harris Malden, judged on its own merit, is not a great film. It began as a short documentary, in fact (that it is not at all a documentary shows Sweaty Robot's imaginative approach to filmmaking) and built into an 80-minute feature. The best that can be said is, the kids got themselves a full-length movie made. The acting is frequently unconvincing, which undercuts the attempts at sly humor. One attempt at slapstick, two of the main characters in a fight, is so poorly executed I would hate to see the takes that were cut. But afterward, I applauded the effort, because the film industry can use more heartfelt efforts, with so many crappy films in release.

Later, at the after-party at the Palms Pool, I bumped into Gregorio, who plays lead character Harris Malden. I congratulated him on getting the film all the way to CineVegas. He smiled, exhaled and said, “Thanks so much.” I give him and the team five stars, with the hope that their second film is a genuine winner.

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