Throws of Passion
Veteran director Todd M. Jones brings us a comedic mockumentary-style film shot in the vein of “The Office”. The story focuses on the found footage of the failed Cable Sports and Life Network channel and their famed Long Island Rock, Paper, Scissors (regional qualifier) championship.
The characters in THROWS OF PASSION are diverse and interesting. They run the gamut from the defected Cuban competitor to the washed up ex-champion from the 70′s. It includes the attractive female and the promising newcomer. All the characters are treated equally and each given their own storyline that plays out over the course of the film. We even get to see the tournament promoter’s struggle as he tries in vain to get celebrities, sponsors, and even viewers to this championship (which by the way is not airing on television, but instead being streamed on the web, which was a nice modern twist to this story). One of the things this movie is missing is a sense of suspense, or a conflict that is ongoing throughout the film. Just the anticipation of the event itself is not necessarily enough to carry the plot. What could have felt more like Guest’s BEST IN SHOW feels more like a protracted “Big Brother” episode. That being said, the comedy is spot-on as is the writing, and the actors and actresses play their deadpan humor well. The montage scene of the tournament in the movie shows a bit of fun and is easy to watch. It gets broken up at the end by a couple scenes that overall don’t entirely fit within the overall scope of the film, but we quickly return back to the “found footage” and are engaged back into the story. The film culminates with the one-on-one face-off between two relative unknowns in the story, which is an interesting turn since you would think that the people central to the story would be in the spotlight at the end. A risky turn, but not necessarily unwelcome.
The colors are fairly drab and washed out. The lighting is natural. This gives the film a documentary feel, but sadly one that could have benefited with some color correction. When I think back to this movie for some reason, I see it entirely in black and white, which I’m sure has something to do with the dullness of the color presented. Considering the low budget of this film, a lot can be forgiven when it comes to the look of the film. The shots themselves are framed well, and the editor knew just when to cut away (making some scenes just awkward enough to deliver on the comedy). All in all, this film is very watchable, and if you enjoyed other mockumentary films like BLACKBALLED, then you will enjoy THROWS OF PASSION
