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Martin (Ian Roberts) is a hotshot account executive at an advertising agency called The Marketing Force. He’s suicidal because an actor was killed performing one of his campaigns. The person was in an egg roll costume that had no eye openings, in order to make it look real, and while on a smoke break at a pier, the actor fell into the water and drowned. Shortly after his suicide attempt, Martin returns to work and is given an assignment in which three young girls don a spare rib costume, once again without eyes. Of course he fears that they could die or be seriously injured, especially since they must cross a rope bridge, suspended high above a bubbling vat of barbecue sauce, the item being promoted. As part of his recovery, Martin goes to see Dr. Orloff (Matt Walsh) for therapy. After being admonished for taking reading material from the waiting room into the doctor’s office, Martin should not be surprised that Orloff’s medical practice is unconventional. Not long after they begin the regular question and answer routine for a new patient, the key running joke of the movie begins; "Why’d you try to kill yourself?" Once the session begins, the doctor realizes that he has a baseball game at noon. He convinces Martin to ride with him, as he drives like a true mad man. Orloff is even able to convince Martin to umpire the game, even though Martin has never played baseball and has no idea what the rules are, including something as simple as what a ball and a strike are. Later Orloff takes Martin to a strip club, where his girlfriend Kashia (Kim Raver of TV’s "The Third Watch") works. She’s not your father’s stripper on the pole, as she is working on her Ph.D. in psychology. Martin is attracted to her girlfriend Patty (Amy Poehler of "Wet, Hot, American Summer"), who has "issues" of her own. One problem is her pro football, ex-boyfriend, who is insanely jealous. He also has an extended "long john silver," that later saves the day for the girls in the spare rib costume, in a way that only a very twisted mind could imagine. You may laugh…even if the scene offends you. In the midst of the dumbness there are some important lessons to ponder; some practical and others moral. Where do you draw the line on what you will do for a buck? How much faith should you put in someone just because they have a fancy office and an important title? Can love come wrapped in ugly paper and if so, how can you be sure you grab the opportunity while it’s there? If you like your humor on the twisted side and are looking for something fresh, you’ve found it. It’s not quite " American Splendor" geeky, but it’s closer to that than your usual Hollywood package of routine merriment. Although it’s off the beaten path, it has a mainstream freshness to it that I found invigorating.
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