Lovers of unintentional camp, rejoice! RUSSIAN DOLL (A Thriller) hits DVD

The box art for RUSSIAN DOLL explains (or maybe proclaims) the movie to be, via its subtitle description, (A Thriller) -- in parentheses, yet, in case, I guess, we might want to consider this as parenthetical. Indeed there is not a single thrill to be found here. There is, however, a whole lot of genuine laughs, most of these completely unintentional, I fear.

Which means that this movie takes its place among those hallowed few films that rise, completely of their own accord, into the realm of unintentional camp.

As written and directed by Ed Gaffney (shown at right, whose earlier work as screenwriter, The Perfect Wedding, this reviewer thoroughly enjoyed), Russian Doll begins and ends with a genuine surprise. The first of these turns what has initially looked just slightly off-kilter into something that makes perfect sense. The final surprise has to do with identity, and I admit that I did not at all expect it. So I applaud. Very good, Mr. Gaffney!

The problem, however, is that between these two surprises, almost everything else seems bat-shit crazy, including the performances of much of the cast, especially our leading lady, Melanie Brockmann Gaffney (I suspect she is the filmmaker's wife), who, whatever other talents she possesses, acting is not among them, and Jason T. Gaffney (the filmmaker's son?), who was so very good in his rom-com role in The Perfect Wedding, but here plays a villain (shown below with his victim, played by Aly Trasher) who keeps making us laugh. Unintentionally, I admit. But that's not what villains are supposed to do.

The plot has to do with a theatrical play, the authorship of which may have been stolen; a sudden kidnapping (that actually makes very little sense overall); and a theatrical production of said play (named Russian Doll) that is occurring simultaneously with the kidnapping and a budding romance between our heroine, a police detective (Ms Gaffney, at left on poster, top) and a very pretty, sexy young woman with whom the detective's mom (Kristine Sutherland, below) has set her up.

All comes together in as clunky a manner as the above description sounds, with the kidnapper and his kidnapee especially hilarious, as the latter keeps escaping and the former keeps telling her that he's going to kill her if she keeps this up. She does, of course, and he doesn't. Somewhere along the way, the filmmaker inserts a song, the lyrics of which prove as awful (and as funny) as everything else on display. (We happened to have the English subtitles on as we watched and so got a double dose, aural and visual.)

At one point or another, my spouse and I began laughing aloud at the increasingly silly goings-on and, as can happen with this kind of laughter, it simply grew and grew until we were actually having a pretty good time. Add to this the automatic corrective that a truly awful movie can provide to just about everything else you've seen, mediocre on downward. Russian Doll managed this, and I am grateful. Now I truly understand what bad looks like. (That's the other leading lady, played by Marem Hassler, above, right, and Sarah Hollis, below, right, as our heroine's police partner, who tries to be smart and sassy but is defeated at every turn by the script.)

Distributed by Wolfe Video and running at least a short 82 minutes, the movie hits the street on DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, April 17 -- for purchase and/or maybe rental. To all of you -- performers, filmmakers, audiences -- good luck!

Nuptial streaming: Scott Gabriel's sweetly energetic THE PERFECT WEDDING enchants

One of the things that distinguishes "separatist" gay movies from those that are more inclusive is the moviemakers' refusal to broaden their canvas to reach farther than an all-GLBT/all-the-time cast of characters and concerns.  This "all gay, please!" approach, when done well, can certainly provide some fun, but often it makes for a rather circumscribed world. One of the lovely things about THE PERFECT WEDDING, the 2012 film from first-time/full-length director Scott Gabriel and screenwriters Ed Gaffney, Jason T. Gaffney and Suzanne Brockmann, is how geuinely concerned it seems with almost all of its characters, gay, straight, white, black, old, young, and so forth. In fact, the titular wedding involves a young woman intent on pleasing her parents, and her male fiance whose is willing to do whatever it takes to give everyone what they want.

It's the bride's gay brother, an on-the-wagon alcoholic (played by the handsome/ hunky Eric Aragon, right), his former lover, and that lover's good friend -- all of whom show up at the family's Florida mansion -- who end up being the center of attention here. Yet their carryings-on never detract from the concerns of the bride and groom nor from the siblings' parents, all of whom are pictured rather fully and warmly in this surprisingly sweet movie that wants to play fair by all its characters.

It does this, too, and in the process provides some genuine romance, comedy and charm. The ex-lover's friend, who accompanies him to the festivities, and who -- for purposes of plotting and drama -- must pretend to be the ex's current lover, is played by one of the screenwriters, Jason T. Gaffney.

As an actor, Mr. Gaffney (at left) possesses an appealingly goofy quality that, together with his own good looks and talent, makes him more than a fine foil for Mr. Aragon. How the movie first brings the two together via a game of charades proves an original and smart addition to the rom-com canon.

The film also handles its various inquiries -- into AA, the problems of pretense, and who, finally, a wedding is really for (the participants or their parents) -- with directness and intelligence.

In the large and talented cast (above), the biggest name in undoubtedly that of the late James Rebhorn (far left), a very good actor who only recently left us. Rebhorn does a lovely job in this, playing one of his sweetest and kindest roles.

Via its genuiness and simplicity, The Perfect Wedding, at 82 minutes, manages to entertain, make us think a bit, and finally becomes a joyous five-hankie movie about doing the right thing. You can view it now via Netflix streaming -- and elsewhere.