While the Duplass brothers were filming their cult classic The Puffy Chair, a crew member raised the question "what's the scariest thing you can think of?" Almost immediately, a guy said "a guy with a bag on his head starring into your window." Some agreed, many did not, and a few thought that the idea was more funny than scary.
It was then, at that very moment, that the idea for Baghead came to be. Taking a simple idea and transforming it into a feature film was so sure hit; however, if anyone could do it, it would be the Duplass brothers.
As the film starts out, it is hard to decipher its exact direction. Is it attempting to make fun of horror films? Is it trying to be scary itself? Or is it simply supposed to be fun? The answer is muffled at first, but becomes clear after about fifteen minutes when the film reveals itself to be as stereotypically funny as it is creative.
Staying at a house in the woods, four aspiring actors are set on writing a screenplay that will give them each the break they need to become a hot movie star. However, their plan goes a little haywire when tempers flare do to a past relationship, friendships are called into question and a mysterious man continues to creep around the grounds wearing a bag over his head.
For starters, if you found The Puffy Chair stupid, unwarranted or just not funny, then you will probably want to skip this film. In addition, if you are not a fan of the Duplass brothers, they changed nothing here and you will probably want to leave the theater early. However, if you have enjoyed other Duplass brother films, or haven't seen any as of yet, then I would strongly recommend that you give the guys a shot with Baghead.
Creating a sense of hysteria and urgency on-screen while signaling laughs in the theater is never an easy task; yet, even amid the whirlwind of buzz and high expectations, the Austin duo were able to produce "“ though just barely.
Featuring a cast comprising of Ross Partridge, Steve Zissis, Greta Gerwig and Elise Muller, Baghead was halfway to containing the perfect ensemble. Unfortunately, the two female roles lacked in both depth and talent.
The worst of the bunch was Greta Gerwig who played the always looking drunk Michelle. Unable to really deliver a line, Gerwig came across as if she was high or under the influence of alcohol, stumbling through her dialogue and really preventing the film from coming full circle.
Then there was Elise Muller, a beautiful woman with quite a few small roles to her credit, who was unable to sell herself as Catherine. From her interactions with the other cast members to her miserable delivery, Muller failed to convince the audience of her paranoia, becoming an annoying ex-girlfriend and major story distraction instead.
But where there is bad there is usually some good. This time, it was in the form of Ross Partridge and Steve Zissis. Creating the two male leads of Chad and Matt, both Partridge and Zissis stayed within themselves, realizing their duty and making it happen.
Never once did either of the male leads attempt to outshine each other, nor did they try to upstage the story in which they were telling. Instead, the two real-life friends understood that they needed to be intense, almost too intense, as they were playing to make those watching smile and even giggle to some extent. The result was pure genius, really showcasing both actors and possibly providing them the breakout role that they were trying to write from the beginning.
Though the story does become a repetitive bore towards the middle, the creative minds and style of the Duplass brothers kick it into full gear towards the end, easily outshining the female leads and any plot hiccups that might have come to rise along the way. However, even with their creative minds, the film is nowhere near perfect - but come to think of it, what film truly is?
