Diggers

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a guy who works for an entertainment and lifestyle marketing company. He asked me if I would be interested in reviewing a new movie starring Paul Rudd called Diggers, based on the fact that I am a huge State fan and Ken Marino of The State wrote and co-stars in the film. This was the first time anyone has ever asked me to do anything like this so I jumped at the opportunity.

I'm not going to review what the movie was about. You can go on IMDB to read about that. What I will do is attempt to give you an idea of what type of movie Diggers is so you can gauge whether it is something that you would be interested in.

Diggers is the type of movie that unfortunately will be overlooked by mainstream movie-goers because it doesn't have CG monsters, breath-taking explosions, and billion-dollar actors attached to it. It's the type of movie that gets passed by at the rental store because it's overshadowed by a wall of the latest Eddie Murphy vehicle that allows him to play 17 characters. It's the type of movie that will find it's way to it's correct audience via word-of-mouth and obscure reviews such as the one you are reading now.

Diggers reacquainted me with the art of well-made independent films. As a graduate from film school, I often enjoy a movie made with heart and determination rather than 50 million dollars. When you have a film that doesn't rely on fancy special effects, computer generated sets, and tabloid movie stars, you end up with something that doesn't distract from heartfelt performances and storytelling.

All of the actors gave great performances from Paul Rudd to the young boy that played Marino's character's son. I know it is going to seem like I am giving a biased opinion because I am a State Fan, but Marino really was my favorite part of the movie. This was the first serious role I have seen him in (if you don't count Tenement) and I can only hope that this leads to future roles that will allow him to showcase his talents because he was awesome as a short-tempered clam-digger struggling to stay afloat in a rapidly changing world.

This won't be a slam dunk for people hoping for a knee-slapping comedy. It is melancholy more often than humorous, although it does have a few scenes that were charmingly hilarious. I can't recall any movie of recent times that this reminded me of, which in my opinion is a good thing.

I have created a quick and easy formula below to help you decide whether Diggers is the right movie for you.

1) Have you ever said to yourself, "I can't wait for Fast and Furious 4"?

2) Do you drive a lifted truck?

3) Would you rather drink Mountain Dew than water?

4) Does the tv show, Two and a Half Men tickle your funny bone?

5) Did you find this website hoping it was a site that showed videos of people smashing mailboxes with baseball bats?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, do yourself a favor and rent that Steven Segal flick you've been meaning to watch. If you can't answer yes to any of those questions, you might want to give the movie a shot.

Tags: Diggers, Paul Rudd, Ken Marino, Independent film, The State