Drugstore June

Screened at Laemmle NoHo 7, North Hollywood, California.

I checked this out as a fan of Esther Povitsky, Bobby Lee and their various podcasts (all recommended: Trash Tuesday, Tigerbelly, Bad Friends), and while I overall felt let down - because I just know Esther & Co have it in them for something truly great and wildly hilarious - this, and it's not a criticism, of course - is simply fun and entertaining. It just doesn't reach that level where I'd have to say "you GOTTA see this." You SHOULD see it, as comedies in the theaters are dying, especially of the indie ilk, but as much as I wish I could say it's a must see, it's not.

There's a lot going for it though, without question. Little Esther is funny and unique, Bobby Lee's performance is quite warm for a comedy, Beverly D'Angelo was a great fit, Haley Joel Osment is fun, Bill Burr has a funny appearance, Trevor Wallace was hilarious as the owner of a pot shop, and even Danielle 'Bhad Bhaby' Bregoli had me laughing. That's a tiny miracle.

The problem is the script. It needs a punch-up or two. Writers Povitsky and director Nicholaus Goossen ('Grandma's Boy') are no question funny people, but some moments just didn't work. At times I would think it was a bit of a stoner sensibility that was on display here, but I wasn't completely convinced of that, and instead more convinced the idea and script were on the right track, and near the finish line, but it desperately needed some fine-tuning. It was SO CLOSE, and I wanted it to badly for them, but hey, I had a really fun time with it, so who am I to criticize?