A ChucksConnection Film Review

 

Henry Thomas wears black high top Converse “Chuck Taylor” All Stars in the film.

 

Hijacking Hollywood

by Taylor Bathel

 

Aspiring director Kevin Conroy searches for jobs in Hollywood.

 

Kevin gets a job as an assistant to Russell, Michael Lawrence’s manager.

 

The real entertainment is in the portrayal of unsavory characters that make you laugh and cringe at the same time. Every detail of the film fulfills a stereotype—lazy, greedy, immoral, and brainless. First up is Tad, the confident and smooth-talking type that never seems to accomplish anything, despite his proud statements that he has films “in development.” Kevin’s boss, Russell Bernside (Scott Thompson), is the epitome of the wicked Hollywood animal who throws out uncanny orders—delivering a single pencil, for example. All the while, shots are directed back to Russell’s desk where behind the scenes we see him deeply involved in video games the majority of the time. Thrown in between these characters are a slew are sexualized, brainless women prancing around to play up the Hollywood stereotype and add specs of humor.

 

Kevin is at the airport delivering the daily film rushes.

 

Kevin’s life is hell as the lowly production assistant. The movie does follow a shallow storyline, but similar to the entertainment being in character types, the plot entertainment comes from random scenes of innocent Kevin winding up in precarious situations. Overall, Kevin is in charge of a number of mundane duties on set, including the retrieval of the film reels that he soon realizes houses millions of dollars in recordings. Kevin and Tad decide to hold the film for ransom, a tactic of revenge and also a means for Kevin to afford producing his own film. You can image that this plan has some twists and turns, and leaves plenty of room for laughs.

 

Michael Lawrence’s wife Sarah complicates things by wanting to have an affair with Kevin.

 

Not only was Nel Mandt a leading character in the film, he is also the writer and director. An impressive feat and challenge to take on, and Mandt delivers. The film is genius in the way it mocks its own culture, and even its own actors. Henry Thomas earned fame through his childhood role in E.T, and you bet that during this film, Thomas plays with an E.T. doll to poke fun at himself. Thomas’ role is spot on though—he’s a lost puppy in the intricate maze of Hollywood, and without his seemingly natural portrayal of this role, the film would not have been so effective. Thomas is constant rushing around, panicking and struggling, a feeling that is so utterly juxtaposed to the fast-talking and swaggering characters around him. Overall, Hijacking Hollywood is a film where everyone is indecent, and hilariously so. Watch it for a lighthearted laugh, and be warned of some slight vulgarity.

 

Tad helps Kevin load a box of film.

 

Best Chucks Scene

 

Kevin is looking inside his right high top.

 

Henry Thomas in his role as Kevin Conroy wears black high top chucks throughout the film. The best chucks scene was when Kevin got something in one of his chucks, and was emptying it out sitting on the hood of his car.

 

Kevin is shaking something out of his right chuck.

 

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