Written and Directed by Ned Crowley

Starring:  Jim O’Heir and Andrew J. West 

The dark comedy “Middle Man,” written and directed by Ned Crowley, gives Jim O’Heir a very different look as Lenny Freeman, a stand-up comic who isn’t very funny—until he meets “Hitch” (Andrew J. West).  The two travel toward Las Vegas in the hopes of winning a stand-up comedy competition, but Lenny finds himself on a bloody journey; one that actually makes him funny.  The film bodes the question, “What is the price of fame?”

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE

Lenny is in a dead-end job when his mother passes away. Learning that she has left him nothing but mounds of debt and a ’53 Oldsmobile, he packs his bags and hits the road to become a contestant on the Stand-Up Stand-Off show in Vegas.  Coincidentally (or not), Lenny meets and eventually befriends Hitch who has experience in managing “talent.”  The two couldn’t be any more different and Lenny finds himself, at the very least, an accessory to murder.  Never giving up on his dream of becoming a stand-up comic, he goes up on stage in blood-soaked clothing only to find that his “material” is quite entertaining.  Always the gentleman and yearning for love, he also falls head over heals with Grail  (Anne Dudek) who is in an abusive relationship with T-Bird (Josh McDermitt).  Winning the girl and the contest while somehow dodging the police creates a wonderfully twisted, bloody, and entertaining mess.

Lenny is the perennial loser who has a certain sweetness and innocence about him.  You know he’s never had a girlfriend.  He’s a mama’s boy who spent every evening listening to the old time comic greats like Gracie Allen and Charlie Chaplin and the guy is stuck in a time warp.  Venturing off on his own is going to be very dangerous and it’s obvious from his first encounter with the wise-cracking waitress Evelyn (Jocelyn Ayanna) that he is ill-prepared for what’s ahead.  Hitch is the ultimate danger as he attaches himself to Lenny.   There are ulterior motives and driving forces behind Hitch that we later learn about creating a truly awful human being.  Their relationship spirals out of apparent control, plummeting Lenny into a murderous abyss while it catapults him to buzz-worthy local fame.

“Middle Man” is more than foreboding and dark—it’s ironic, shocking, and truly funny.  It doesn’t take long before you rid yourself of all preconceived notions that O’Heir is the lovable character from “Parks and Recreation.”  He quickly devolves into a self-serving murderer who somehow you still root for to win.  The situations are as desolate as the environment and every character augments that same inhospitable feel.  Grail, T-Bird, and Father Ricky (Tracey Walter) are all in the desert equivalence of hillbilly hell.  It’s as if once you enter, there is no escape.  Emotions run high, but the end zone of fame is never out of site for Lenny.

O’Heir shines in this pitch black comedy as the straight man.  His reactions to the surrounding gruesome and gory incidents somehow create sympathy for him.  Without seeing a single scene of Lenny’s life before his mother dies, we know this sad sack.  He was doomed from the beginning, but human nature makes us root for the underdog.  West is simply stellar as the slimy sociopath who slithers his way into the mind of innocent victims like Lenny.  His exterior is convincingly just as dirty as his soul.  With both West and O’Heir, it’s all very subtle—nothing is over-the-top, keeping all the events in the realm of possibility.  The cast is in perfect harmony with one another which produces a stylized dark comedy.  While O’Heir and West lead the troupe, Ayanna is also a stand out in the film.  Her quick-paced delivery of remarkably witty material is jaw-droppingly and surprisingly funny!

The sharp dialogue, quick-wit, and unusual story-line with remarkable character actors give this film the life it deserves.  “Middle Man” is a wonderfully gruesome pitch black comedy the likes of Alice Lowe’s “Prevenge” and “Sightseers” or Pat Healy’s “Take Me” and “Cheap Thrills.”  It’s not for the faint of heart, but neither is getting up on stage and performing stand-up!

Jim O’Heir talks about his film MIDDLE MAN

I had the pleasure to sit down and talk with O’Heir about his film and his life.  Be sure to check back for the interview soon.