Kabluey DVD Review
Kabluey is one of those smart, funny, poignant little films that not many people ever see, and that’s a shame. Sure, it’s not about glamorous “teen pregnancy” (a la Juno), but it’s just as funny, well acted and directed.
The film is about Salman (Scoot Prendergast) and Leslie (Lisa Kudrow), in-laws who appear to be night and day opposites but may have more in common than they realize. Tightly-wound Leslie’s husband is in Iraq, and he has left her behind with their two wild kids, who seem hell-bent on wreaking havoc on their mother. When Leslie is faced with being forced to return to work or losing her benefits, Salman shows up to lend a hand. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to know the first thing about taking care of kids (or even himself), and when money gets tighter, Leslie lines up a job for him to help pay the bills. That job, as mascot for a dot-com, comes with a ridiculous, giant blue costume that hides Salman from the world, not that he cares very much. In fact, the disguise helps Salman reach out to others and he soon finds that hiding behind a disguise has its advantages.
Prendergast takes on a lot in Kabluey—he directed the film, wrote it and stars as one of the leads—but somehow he manages to juggle all his hats effectively, and the end result is a delight. Kabluey’s got plenty of heart, spot on comedic timing, and although the laughs are plentiful, they are more of the bittersweet variety than the slapstick type that viewers might find in, say, an Adam Sandler or Jim Carrey vehicle (not that there’s anything wrong with that type of humor).
The magic of this film seems to lie in the mascot suit, which allows Salman to be both noticed by and listen to people who he would never normally interact with. In addition, Kudrow, who may be best known as the ditzy “Phoebe” on television’s long-running sitcom “Friends,” does a great job as the “straight man” in Kabluey, evoking acting found in past roles such as Happy Ending and The Opposite Of Sex.
Kabluey costars Christine Taylor, who guest starred on “Friends” as Ross’s bald girlfriend; Conchata Ferrell of “Two And A Half Men” and “ER”; Jeffrey Dean Morgan of “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Weeds” and P.S. I Love You; Chris Parnell of “Saturday Night Live” and “30 Rock”; and Teri Garr, who also guest starred on “Friends”, as well as costarred in classics like Mr. Mom and Tootsie.
The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1 aspect ratio, with audio in 5.1 Dolby Digital, and subtitles available in English and French only. The only extras included are some deleted scenes, which when viewed don’t add a lot to the film, but do offer some chuckles and laughs.
Kabluey is rated PG-13 for some sexual material including a crude reference, and brief strong language. Although it’s rated PG-13, probably most kids will only get a kick out of the mascot costume, and the subtlety of the message might be lost on them.
I give Kabluey 3 out of 5 stars, as I thought it was very enjoyable and delivered a great message.