It's all in the family for the indie slacker comedy "Delivery Boy Chronicles."
Created by writer-director team of siblings Michael and Stacey Childers, the movie also features singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins in a role opposite his actress wife, Kelly Hobbs.
The result of all the family ties and local flavor is an offbeat film that gets in its share of laughs without ever quite taking off.
The tight-knit group made the film in their hometown of Atlanta in 2004, with a cast and crew mostly from Georgia and a minuscule budget. After a run of film-festival appearances, "Chronicles" is on one last quest to get to the big screen with an independent DVD release.
The movie follows a group of delivery drivers as they use their low-paying jobs to support themselves while they figure out what do with their lives.
"Chronicles" is primarily the story of Mike (Ralph Price, "We Three Kings"), a slacker who tries his hand at inventing to try to get rich quickly. After many failed attempts, he enters corporate America for a cubicle job that involves him looking through the phonebook and trying to sell a product he doesn't understand. A typical "Chronicles" moment occurs when he accidentally shows up for an interview on shrooms, causing the employees break into a Willy Wonka-style song onscreen.
Although much of the film's entertainment value comes from the talented local cast, most of the actors seem a little old to be playing the parts of 25-year-olds working the delivery business before they find their first real jobs.
Mullins, who had a hit in 1998 with his song "Lullaby," makes his movie debut after abandoning acting as a child and truly stands out among the rest of the actors. He cleverly plays the role of Tig, a burnt out delivery boy who finally changes his ways after a conflict with a rival delivery service that consists of an army of tuxedo-wearing Porsche-drivers. Tig's big scheme involves finding shrooms that apparently grow in cow excretion, although he also spends time torturing rookie drivers, especially when they say delivering is just a temporary step before a real job.
Hobbs plays Molly, a young woman who wants to save the world and make it a better place yet has never set foot outside of Atlanta. Hobbs' character works as a delivery driver in order to fund a goodwill trip around the world.
To round out the foursome, Chet Dixon plays a striving artist named Magoo, who searches people's trash for various items to complete his works of art.
With some help from their fellow delivery boys, the group attempts to pull off one last plot to break out of their miserable jobs and pursue their dreams to funny if not sidesplitting results.
While the movie contains many funny moments, it is usually the unknown characters that deliver the funniest jokes.
The script seemed a little undeveloped, as the history of the characters was, for the most part, unknown, and their roles weren't easy to identify with until well into the movie. Aside from a hilarious fight between Mike and a friend who was dressed as Joe Camel, the beginning of the movie doesn't entice people to keep watching since it doesn't pick up until about 15 minutes in.
While a few jokes were great, most fell flat. The physical comedy that provides the basis for much of the film isn't compelling enough to be the main focus. Tig's mind games and attempts to thwart other deliverers were much more interesting and humorous.
Childers' canted film shots were a pleasant surprise, perfectly matching the characters' lives, which also seem a little crooked.
The film's release to DVD on the movie's website doesn't look promising for a future on the big screen. Its only chance would be to make it as a cult classic, but "Chronicles" can't quite compete with the cult favorite since the plot doesn't really pick up until halfway through. It might work on Comedy Central, even though some of the humor seemed forced. Many of the jokes were conceptually good, but failed due to poor delivery — no pun intended.
Grade: 2.5 out of 5