Synopsis
COLIN FITZ LIVES! is a charming, caustic, and sweetly demented comedy that finds its ironic inspiration in GenX obsessions with death, beer, and rock 'n roll. Every year on the anniversary of rock idol Colin Fitz' death, something bizarre happens at his gravesite. This year his wife, Justice Fitz (Julianne Phillips), calls upon the O'Day Security Firm for help. The two guards who are hired, Paul (Matt McGrath) and Grady (Andy Fowle), are clearly not from the same universe. From the moment they begin preparing for their night in the graveyard, their completely opposite and fundamentally dysfunctional personalities clash as they heatedly exchange views on life, love, and American pop culture.
Throughout their increasingly strange tour of duty, the mismatched guards have encounters with numerous visitors: a Colin Fitz fan (Martha Plimpton), their officious supervisor Mr. O'Day (William H. Macy), the mysterious groundskeeper Nolan (John C. McGinley), Grady's ex-girlfriend Moira (Mary McCormack) and her new beau Tony Baby Shark (Chris Bauer). By the end of the night, Paul and Grady arrive at a new respect for the megastar's iconic power as they finish their beers, call a truce, and finally leave for breakfast with a group of Swedish fans.
With raucous speculation on how world history would have been different if Buddy Holly had dropped acid or whether future generations will establish a John Lennon religion, COLIN FITZ LIVES! is a wonderfully offbeat dark comedy that is at once playful and smart. Echoing the canny madness of This Is Spinal Tap!, and the deadpan worldview of Clerks, COLIN FITZ LIVES! not only explores dead rock star mythology and post-modern romance, it also makes a case for friendship in a ridiculously discordant world.
Monday, February 13, 2012
