What do a suicidal marketing man, a throw-caution-to-the-wind psychiatrist, a deranged Desert Storm vet, a stripper with a PhD, a giant penis and a man in an egg roll costume have in common? Not much, usually — but they all are part of the zany comedy “Martin & Orloff.”
For the uninitiated, Upright Citizens Brigade is an improv and sketch comedy group that formed shortly after the birth of long-form improvisational comedy. The group consists of four main comedians — Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh, Matt Besser and Amy Poehler. Those who have visited the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York or are familiar with the show that aired on Comedy Central (1998-2000) will know what type of humor this movie provides. Those that have no idea of what I’m talking about, however, should approach this movie with an open mind.
The brand of humor that this foursome create is something wholly twisted — often very dark but also completely absurd. Even though Besser and Poehler were not involved in writing the script, the movie retains UCB’s warped view of reality.
In “Martin & Orloff,” nothing is too taboo to be laughed at, especially suicide. The main character, Martin Flam, works in marketing, and is just returning to normal life after a failed suicide attempt. At the hospital’s request, he is instructed to see a psychiatrist — and what he gets is Dr. Eric Orloff.
Orloff is not your typical calm, pensive psycho-analyst. In fact, he’s crazier than, well, someone who just tried to kill himself. Orloff takes Martin on a journey of self-discovery, meeting a variety of bizarre characters along the way. Although the premise may sound cliched, the writing of Roberts and Walsh is original and often hilarious.
If nothing else, this movie is very funny, especially the first half. Roberts and Walsh pull off the buddy comedy with few missteps. Their long history of working together is apparent through their comedic chemistry. The movie’s greatest strength is the back-and-forth between these two characters.
Despite having some incredibly humorous scenes, the laughs become sparse as the film ends. Some of the later scenes don’t seem nearly as fresh as earlier ones, and the climactic ending isn’t nearly as funny as it tries to be.
It seems that UCB-brand humor isn’t really suited for a feature-length film, as many of the funnier ideas would have worked better as improv theater or a half-hour show. Had the movie kept up the uproarious energy it displayed at the beginning of the film, it would have been one of the funniest movies ever made.
“Martin & Orloff” is a good first effort for Roberts and Walsh. It’s funny, slightly disturbing and generally a lot of fun. Were there a movie written by the entire UCB, it would certainly be something to go crazy about.
Music Box Theatre
What: “The Fog of War” and “Martin & Orloff” are playing at the Music Box Theatre, located at 3733 N. Southport Ave.
Directions by El: Take the Red Line to Addison, then walk west to Southport. Turn right on Southport and walk two blocks.
Communication sophomore Seth Herron is a writer for PLAY. He can be reached at [email protected].
