Highball (1997)
Highball (1997)
7.5/10
Highball; the film Noah Baumbach does not want you to know about. Credited as Ernie Fusco for director and Jesse Carter for writing; he also appears as one of the main characters Philip. Highball is an experiment of Baumbach’s. The goal was to get all of the actors from his previous film Mr. Jealousy and to make a film in 6 days with a script he had written. He sees the result as being a complete failure, something he wants nothing to do with, wants no one to see and is ultimately ashamed of it. It is not hard to see why. The entire film is shot in one apartment and without proper time and effort going into shooting techniques; the direction is stilted and awkward with even worse lightning and generally misguided and distracting editing. However, the script itself is so hilarious and the actors in it are so on top of their game, that the film, despite its considerable flaws, is a major success based on the writing and acting alone.
The film has an almost non-existent plot. It is technically centered on Travis (Christopher Reed) and Diane (Lauren Katz), a newly married couple who are using their new apartment (mainly the overly enthusiastic Diane) to host social gatherings. It consist of three parties; the first being a birthday party for their friend Felix (Carlos Jacott) and a housewarming party, the second being for Halloween and the third being for New Year’s Eve. Nothing much happens. It is more about seeing the characters interact with one another. By the end of the film it is easy to get a sense of all the intricacies within the group dynamic.
There is Travis, extreme in whatever his emotional leanings consist of. At the first party he is like a combination of a child and Keanu Reeves and at the second because of a fight/temporary break up with Diane he is completely miserable. Diane is living in delusions of how she wants to be perceived and how she wants her life to be complete with repeated stories about German coffee and a long-term crush on Darien (Eric Stoltz) who brings Ally Sheedy and Rae Dawn Chong to their parties (playing themselves). Felix is a miserable misanthropic asshole who spends his time making fun of Philip (Noah Baumbach) for missing his payments on a child he once supported named Joaquin who Felix refers to as ‘Jobeen’. Miles (John Lehr) is a misguided doofus who lives in a world of his own, working at a record company with Fletcher (Chris Eigeman) who constantly tries to get things through to his head and never succeeding. There are other characters played by Annabella Sciorra, Peter Bogdanovich and Justin Bateman who all find their way to these parties.
Highball is not for everyone. Anyone looking for a plot or for anything of consequence to happen will be disappointed. While it is completely understandable as to why Baumbach avoids the film, even he admits that the script was funny. While others may be and understandably so, put off by the considerable failure of his directorial experimentation, the script and the hilarious dynamic between these actors makes this well worth watching if you ever happen to come across it on VHS.
7.5/10
Highball; the film Noah Baumbach does not want you to know about. Credited as Ernie Fusco for director and Jesse Carter for writing; he also appears as one of the main characters Philip. Highball is an experiment of Baumbach’s. The goal was to get all of the actors from his previous film Mr. Jealousy and to make a film in 6 days with a script he had written. He sees the result as being a complete failure, something he wants nothing to do with, wants no one to see and is ultimately ashamed of it. It is not hard to see why. The entire film is shot in one apartment and without proper time and effort going into shooting techniques; the direction is stilted and awkward with even worse lightning and generally misguided and distracting editing. However, the script itself is so hilarious and the actors in it are so on top of their game, that the film, despite its considerable flaws, is a major success based on the writing and acting alone.
The film has an almost non-existent plot. It is technically centered on Travis (Christopher Reed) and Diane (Lauren Katz), a newly married couple who are using their new apartment (mainly the overly enthusiastic Diane) to host social gatherings. It consist of three parties; the first being a birthday party for their friend Felix (Carlos Jacott) and a housewarming party, the second being for Halloween and the third being for New Year’s Eve. Nothing much happens. It is more about seeing the characters interact with one another. By the end of the film it is easy to get a sense of all the intricacies within the group dynamic.
There is Travis, extreme in whatever his emotional leanings consist of. At the first party he is like a combination of a child and Keanu Reeves and at the second because of a fight/temporary break up with Diane he is completely miserable. Diane is living in delusions of how she wants to be perceived and how she wants her life to be complete with repeated stories about German coffee and a long-term crush on Darien (Eric Stoltz) who brings Ally Sheedy and Rae Dawn Chong to their parties (playing themselves). Felix is a miserable misanthropic asshole who spends his time making fun of Philip (Noah Baumbach) for missing his payments on a child he once supported named Joaquin who Felix refers to as ‘Jobeen’. Miles (John Lehr) is a misguided doofus who lives in a world of his own, working at a record company with Fletcher (Chris Eigeman) who constantly tries to get things through to his head and never succeeding. There are other characters played by Annabella Sciorra, Peter Bogdanovich and Justin Bateman who all find their way to these parties.
Highball is not for everyone. Anyone looking for a plot or for anything of consequence to happen will be disappointed. While it is completely understandable as to why Baumbach avoids the film, even he admits that the script was funny. While others may be and understandably so, put off by the considerable failure of his directorial experimentation, the script and the hilarious dynamic between these actors makes this well worth watching if you ever happen to come across it on VHS.
