Review of And Now a Word from Our Sponsor (2013) by Joel M — 15 Jul 2013

And now a word from our punster on the movie "And Now A Word From Our Sponsor"; that would be me with the cheesehead on top. Before you cut me off and go to commercial break, please stay! I deserve a break today, so please don't get mad, get glad with these incoming puns; wouldn't you like to be a punster too? Anyways, "And Now A Word From Our Sponsor" stars Bruce Greenwood as Adan Kundle, the CEO of his Kundle Advertising firm. Adan suffers a mental breakdown and starts speaking in advertising commercial slogans; it's OK, sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't. He does it rampantly also, nothing outlasts the Adanizer, he keeps going and going and going. Parker Posey also stars as Karen Hillridge, a Fundraising Executive in a hospital. Karen is a single mother to teenage daughter Meghan who 4 out 5 psychiatrists recommend for her to seek help for her teenage angst. Karen takes in Adan at her home for a few days before he is transferred to a mental institution. Karen is a former student of Adan, but their relationship is strictly platonic, so Adan "never had it, never will" from Karen, so there is no need for a "where's the beef?" insert here. Callum Blue co-stars as Lucas Foster, the arrogant Vice President executive of Kundle Advertising who vehemently & viciously will do all it takes to get Adan renounced as CEO of the firm; I guess nothing sucks like an Electrolucas. Zack Bernbaum 's effort in directing the movie with its creative premise was a decent one, but "wazzz up" with the incoherent subplot of Karen's relationship with her daughter; I think there is where I was shouting for "Calgon, to take me away". Nonetheless, Bernbaum fixure on Adan's condition was the strength of his direction in the movie, and his ability to think different was commendable. Screenwriter Michael Hamilton-Wright's clever scribe on Adan's character with his verbalization of the commercial slogans was a comedic delight that made me clap on a lot, but when his scribe turned to Karen and her daughter Meghan it made me clap off plenty. Now, take it was an independent movie and the filmmakers did not have enough of "what's in your wallet" so therefore I must admire their efforts within their limitations. And when it positively absolutely had to deliver the commercial slogans from Adan, it turned out to be an overnight success; sort of. Adan's commercial slogan responses were a trip; yep, "they're Greeeeat!" Greenwood's phenomenal performance as Adan was a treasure, the best work I have seen so far in 2013; I hope it leaves a light on the minds of academy members & actors' guilds during next year's movie awards season. As much as I adore the indie queen Posey, I think that her work here as Karen was less filling than great. She did not pack that Parker punch which she usually inhibits in her indie movie roles. Callum Blue played the caricature role of an executive villain quite stereotypically, it did not have any "snap, crackle, pop" in it. Newcomer Allie MacDonald did not bring it our way by giving a lackluster performance as Meghan; I was not lovin' it at all, Ms. MacDonald. And now a final word from this punster: I am endorsing "And Now A Word From Our Sponsor" mainly due to Greenwood's super performance, and there is an up for that.

**** Good.