Don't Shoot The Pharmacist!

• Dave Broitman 1 year, 7 months ago Let us know what you think please!

"This is flat out the single best indie comedy I've seen in a really long time...if not ever"   - Rogue Cinema.  "An example of independent filmmaking at its best... This DVD also has the best features I have ever seen on an independent release" - We Will Rise E-Zine. "Dave Broitman brings comedy to a new level and beyond"   - Third Rail Magazine.

"Fresh and Funny" - Sonic Cinema. "A shitload of hilarious moments" - Movie Cynic E-Zine. "A wonderful piece of cinematic entertainment." - TCW Reviews. "Funny, original, completely bizarre… awesomely executed" - Movie Mobsters.

EXTENDED REVIEW by Rogue Cinema-- Pharmacist Zack Wright (Ben Bailey) has a dream. He wants to be a roulette table operator in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, when he's not dreaming, he finds himself working in a small, corner pharmacy along with his pharmacy tech, Ty Jackman (Edwin Matos). While it's not a bad job and Ty seems like a cool guy to work with, Zack seems to feel trapped in his life. The thing is, he's a good guy. In fact, he's so good, he ended up missing his friend's stand up comedy show because he had to fill in on the night shift for the normal guy because he said he was in the hospital. He soon finds out though, after an incredibly bizarre night, full of some really bizarre characters, that maybe his life at the pharmacy isn't all that boring after all.
 
I wasn't really sure what to expect with this film. Comedies are kind of a hit and a miss, and indie comedies are even more so. I have to say though, and this is basically giving away the rest of the review right here, this is flat out the single best indie comedy I've seen in a really long time...if not ever. 

What made it so great? Two things really. The cast and the writing. First the cast...

There is not a bad performance in this movie. Everyone cast in this film was just perfect for their role, and they not only made their characters incredibly entertaining, but also three dimensional. Every character in this film has some sort of a story, whether it's explained fully or not. They all play a part and there's not a single two-dimensional or throw away character in this film.

Ben Bailey (yes that Ben Bailey of Cash Cab fame), was really great as the pharmacist. He basically came off as a really good guy with a dirty mind and a dream, which suited him perfectly both in his physical appearance and his personal demeanor. Edwin Matos as Ty his pharmacy tech was equally likeable, and they made a great hero / sidekick team.
 
The customers though, they really made the film something special. I can't cover them all here, but here are a few of the main ones.

 Phil Freeman (Jayson Simba), the guy with obsessive compulsive disorder who hung out in the pharmacy all night waiting for his doctor to call back to approve his prescription for Zoloft. He was ok when he came in, but as the night went on he started compulsively cleaning stuff more and more. It was a great character that was just a whole lot of fun and perfectly played by Jayson. 

Kevin the pot head (Godfrey) is...well...a pot head, and absolutely hilarious. One hilarious part with him was when he was saying something to Zack and started saying it in a while bunch of different "languages" including a whole bunch of clicky mouth sounds he said was African. Again, he played his character perfectly...as did everyone really, so I guess I can stop saying that.

 Pico the Shitter (Shaun Taylor-Corbett) was a Mexican guy (or Puerto Rican, I don't know) who came in urgently speaking Spanish and holding his stomach. They didn't know what he wanted, but Zack assumed he was constipated, so he tossed him a bottle of Milk of Magnesia and told him to drink some. He did, and then proceeded to turn into a crap fountain right there in the isle of the shop. 

Sai Wuah (Roger Anthony) was an Asian guy who got into this hilarious word war with Ty over his name. Ty thought he kept saying, "Say what" and he kept saying "what" back to him, which only served to piss him off to no end.

 Then there's the old, senile guy who's hard of hearing who comes in numerous times, a hooker who keeps raising her prices, a guy with some serious body odor, a junkie, a guy with jock itch, a horny priest, a robber and his bitch, a guy who got the wrong meds that Ty accidentally kicks in the balls when he goes to the guy's house to exchange them for the right ones... and a whole lot more. 

The entire cast had great comic timing and a phenomenal script to work with. They all came off totally natural and realistic, even though the situations were often utterly ridiculous.

 Speaking of the script, the story in this film is just amazing. It's SO well written and it's just funny as hell. Comedy can be a hard thing to write, but when you have someone who really understands how to do it right, and then you combine that with a flawless cast...man, you end up with something really special. 

David Broitman wrote and directed this film, and I really can't say enough good things about this talented director. He's one of those rare people that really just understands how to make a great film. He "gets it." 

Technically, the only thing I can ding this film on is that the visual quality got kind of grainy here and there, but it's not a consistent issue and tends to mostly be in the darker scenes. This was simply a camera issue though, and really isn't detrimental to the film. All of the other technical aspects were right on the mark. The lightng was well done, the sound was clear throughout the film and the editing moved everything along perfectly.

 I'd like to make note of one other thing here as well. This film has optional English subtitles. This is a rare thing for indie films, but it's something I'd like to see become more of a common practice. My wife is a little hard of hearing, so I know how much subtitles help her, but because of watching so many films with subtitles over the years, I came to realize how much easier it is to catch everything that's being said when you have subtitles to refer to. I've had many films where I had mis-heard something, or didn't hear it at all and didn't realize I had missed something until I saw it with subtitles. Not everyone likes to watch films with subtitles, but that's why they're optional. I can honestly say I prefer them now, and I turn them on in most films that have them available, simply so I can be sure to catch everything. I know there sure have been a whole lot of indie films I've reviewed where the sound was bad or whatever where I sure could have used them.

I can honestly say that there are very few films out of all the indie films that I've reviewed over the years that I would actually go back and watch regularly. This one is definitely one of them. Hell, if I didn't have to get all my reviews written so I can get the next issue of the magazine out, I'd have gone back and watched it a second time already. I know I'll watch it at least one more time in the next week for sure. It's just that good.
 
The DVD release is coming up very soon. It includes some great special features, including an extra short and some behind the scenes stuff. Make sure you get a copy of this one as soon as it's available. You won't be sorry. This film just just so much fun all the way through, you'll realize while you're watching it just how many other "comedies" out there just fail in comparison.

If you'd like to find out more about this film and check out the trailer, you can head on over to the film's website at http://www.dontshootthepharmacist.com.

It felt like it took me forever to complete this movie, but I'm glad we never gave up. To hear more on the story of making this movie, just visit the official site at http://www.DontShootThePharmacist.com
and please check out www.DontShootThePharmacist.com/Store.htm to get your paperback copy of the Official Screenplay, along with other goodies such as Movie Poster, T-Shirts, mugs, even thongs and more!