(Photo credit: Noah Rosenthal)
Big Blue
Kabluey: A likable but strained odd-duck comedy from Texas
Review by Richard von Busack
JOINING THE ROSTER of oddly named comedies (Zotz!, The Twonky and Phffft), the made-in-Texas indie Kabluey seems inspired by the early Coen brothers. Director, writer and star Scott Prendergast plays a Steve Buscemish no-hoper named Salman, who is recruited to be a live-in nanny for his two out-of-control nephews. The brats’ mother, Leslie (Lisa Kudrow, unusually good), is about to lose her mind from the pressure of her husband’s extended deployment in Iraq. She already has a thousand-yard stare and answers questions in the clipped monotone of a shock victim. Calling up the mostly useless Salmon is her last choice of options.
He is a failure as a baby sitter, and Leslie fires him promptly. Forced to get a job, Salman takes the only position he can find: he must wear the terry-cloth mascot suit for a moribund website called BluNexion. The company wants to drum up some tenants for its vacant light-industrial park building. Putting on the padded blue outfit of “Kabluey” (a beach-ball-headed, azure and featureless creature), Salman must stand on the side of a remote rural road and hand out advertising flyers to the one or two cars that pass an hour. “Make yourself known,” says his boss, played by the hulking Conchata Ferrell. Famous as the tough, homely maid from Two and a Half Men, Ferrell is as good a comic seether as Jonathan Winters.
Making himself known in his isolation, Salman draws regulars: a batty bag lady (Teri Garr) in a beat-up sedan who shrieks every time she sees this blue hallucination by the roadside. And a mom—deluded as anyone else in this film—decides that the featureless pantomime person would make a good children’s entertainer. Through this new gig and other bits of evidence, Salman learns that Leslie is having an affair with her boss.
Pendergast mulls over the weirdly American love of mascots, puzzling about the advertising craft that paints smiling faces on cartoon ice cream cones or water towers. The film is not as fluffy as it all looks. Like his off-screen brother in the Army, Salman is stuck in uniform in the middle of nowhere with no sign of relief. Kabluey has a meaty subject—those sign-shaking, funny-animal suited road-side jobs that seem like something engineered as punishment. The suburban landscapes are right; we really feel like we’re in Negativeland. Pendergast is probably a Tim Burton fan since he acquired a famous piece of Danny Elfman music from Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, and the suburban houses are shot to look as weirdly machine-made as the houses in Edward Scissorhands.
When the episodes don’t pay off, such as the bit with the always-cherished Garr, it’s because of Pendergast’s lack of rhythm. He lets us know this is comedy instead of tragedy through the volume of the dialogue and the oversized performances, but there isn’t a joke in Kabluey that wouldn’t hit harder with sharper editing and the right comic angles.
KABLUEY (PG-13; 86 min.), directed and written by Scott Prendergast, photographed by Michael Lohmann and starring Prendergast and Lisa Kudrow, plays at selected theaters.
Greetings! I know this is kinda off topic however I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest authoring a blog article or vice-versa? My blog covers a lot of the same topics as yours and I feel we could greatly benefit from each other. If you happen to be interested feel free to shoot me an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you! Terrific blog by the way!
Wow that was strange. I just wrote an very long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyhow, just wanted to say excellent blog!
I really love your site.. Great colors & theme. Did you build this website yourself? Please reply back as I’m looking to create my own site and would like to learn where you got this from or what the theme is called. Kudos!
I want looking at and I conceive this website got some truly useful stuff on it!
We wish to thank you once again for the gorgeous ideas you offered Jeremy when preparing her post-graduate research plus, most importantly, pertaining to providing many of the ideas within a blog post. Provided we had known of your website a year ago, we might have been rescued from the nonessential measures we were participating in. Thanks to you.
Some really nice and utilitarian information on this site, also I conceive the style and design has got good features.
Hi there! I understand this is sort of off-topic however I had to ask. Does operating a well-established website like yours require a lot of work? I am completely new to writing a blog however I do write in my journal everyday. I’d like to start a blog so I will be able to share my personal experience and thoughts online. Please let me know if you have any kind of recommendations or tips for new aspiring bloggers. Thankyou!
Hi, Neat post. There’s an issue together with your site in internet explorer, would test this… IE still is the market chief and a large section of other folks will leave out your fantastic writing due to this problem.
I am really impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself? Anyway keep up the nice quality writing, it’s rare to see a great blog like this one these days..
Thanks for revealing your ideas. I’d also like to mention that video games have been ever evolving. Modern technology and inventions have aided create sensible and fun games. These types of entertainment video games were not that sensible when the concept was first being tried. Just like other forms of electronics, video games also have had to develop by means of many many years. This itself is testimony towards the fast development of video games.
Aw, this was a very nice post. In idea I would like to put in writing like this additionally – taking time and precise effort to make a very good article… however what can I say… I procrastinate alot and under no circumstances seem to get something done.
Hello, i touch that i maxim you visited my weblog hence i came to “return the favor”.I am attempting to attain equipment to enhance my internetsite!I deduce its approve to compose use of a few of your ideas!!
Thanks in support of the diverse tips mutual taking place this locate. I have realized that many cover companies submit consumers generous savings if they nominate to indemnify a few cars mutually. A momentous variety of households have some vehicles these days, chiefly those with older teenage kids stagnant located by inland, as fine as savings ahead policies can in a little while embark on. As a result it pays to look used for a vast deal.
A ring-shaped of applause for your post.Much thankfulness again. Strength of character recite on…
It’s hard to search out educated individuals on this topic, however you sound like you recognize what you’re talking about! Thanks
Would you ensue attracted by exchanging hyperlinks?
Ha ha… I was emphatically browsing roughly and took a look by these reviews. I can’t consider here’s still this much advantage. Merit for crafting articles about this.
There is a bundle to find absent about this. You completed polite points also.
Hi, Thanks for your page. I naked your summon by instrument of Bing and hope you uphold on condition that much extra excellent articles.
Travel Channel Staff versus Food Nation Badge | Foursquare Atlanta I was optional this website by my cousin. I am not definite whether this send is printed by him as insignificant person besides be aware of such detailed regarding my trouble. You are amazing! Thanks! your article concerning Trek Control Staff versus Victuals Nation Badge | Foursquare AtlantaBest Regards Agata
Interesting blog! Is your theme modified completed before did you download it from someplace? A theme like yours with a couple of painless tweeks would really make my blog bounce outdated. Satisfy consent to me know the categorize you bought your propose. Kudos
Great position you may have non-discriminatory at this juncture nonetheless I was eager to get when you knew of some consumer discussion boards that cowl the identical topics mentioned in this article? I force actually similar to to live a part of neighborhood where I can get opinions from discrete qualified those who disclose the similar leisure activity. Popular rationale you have a few options, delight consent to me get. Cheers!
I set up you are blog through Yahoo and I’ve to articulate. A Colossal Countless thankfulness same a large amount, I thought your report was very enlightening I’ll get back to distinguish what more good in order I will get here.
I will start writing my own blog, definitely!
This blog is good that I can’t take my eyes off it.
I was watching the video for Again by Flyleaf and noticed the symbols in the background. They looked comfortable so i looked by some possessions i had stored away in a cabinet and originate that they were the unchanged symbols, on the contrary I fancy to identify what you guys can attain not on in relation to what the symbols represent. Desire and thank you.
I was vastly jovial to discern this site proceeding bing.I wished to declare countless thankfulness to you with regard to this wonderful post!! I undoubtedlyenjoyed every insignificant bit of it and I’ve you bookmarked to check absent new pack you post.
Thanks for sharing superb informations. Your web-site is very cool. I’m impressed by the details that you have on this website. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for more articles. You, my pal, ROCK! I found just the information I already searched all over the place and just could not come across. What an ideal website.
I wanted to follow along and allow you to know how , very much I liked discovering this blog today. I might consider it a great honor to operate at my place of work and be able to use the tips contributed on your website and also participate in visitors’ responses like this. Should a position involving guest article author become on offer at your end, you should let me know.
Merely wanna input that you have a very nice internet site, I like the style and design it actually stands out.
sbobet the bestVery clear Sunrise, I immediately stopped up in to go to your situate and implicit I’d articulate I loved myself. thailand spicy sbobetawesome
Spot resting on with this write-up, I in truth theorize this web locate desires a large amount more reflection. I’ll mainly apt be real again to interpret route additional, recognition for that info.