5/10
Swingers: The Documentary
27 April 2014
'Who's the Caboose?' is a daringly unvarnished look at the shark- infested waters of Hollywood's double-talk and ruthlessly superficial professional relationships formed during "Pilot Season," and the desperation boiling beneath the surface of the scene.

I appreciate that the mockumentary format serves the authenticity of the story but it's realism is earned at a great sacrifice; the film is not engaging, it successfully delivers a very authentic feeling story but the intentional blandness of 'real-life' negates any possible emotion we might be feeling for the characters.

The movie explores the uphill battle of actors breaking from underground comedy clubs to mainstream sitcom success but what struck me the most was how many fantastic comedians are criminally underutilized in their comedic capacity. Naturally mischievous Sarah Silverman portraying an irritable and neurotic bore, ludicrously funny David Cross barely gets a peek of screen time and H. John Benjamin whose wry voice you have heard in so many great cartoons playing an officious, effervescent lawyer. It's an arm-wrestle between miscast roles and an aggressively dry script.

It's okay, but if you sort-of liked what you saw, I recommend watching the far superior 'Swingers' which came out a year prior, similar fare but done with greater style and a more engaging emotional core.
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