Everybody has at one time or another felt that they have the worse possible job in the world. Maybe you support you family with back breaking work or have to endure the tedium of working each day of the week in a dismal cubical. There is a film that may help to give you a different view of your job; ‘Kenny’. It is a romantic comedy about a man who cleans and maintains portable restrooms for a living. Yes, it is his job to remove the waste left behind in a port-o-potty. This little Australian movie is a sheer delight to watch. This may seem like a very odd theme to drive a rom-com but it is simply brilliant in its execution. The movie started off as a short and was funded for a feature length movie by Splashdown, an Australian restroom rental company. The film is made in the increasingly popular mockumentary format that adds just the right look to it so that audiences can better accept the premise. It has a working class honesty that carries the viewers into the world that this man lives. No matter what you do for a living you have to appreciate the unsung working man who performs needed but definitely unglamorous functions in our society. Most of us have used these portable bathrooms but never give a though to the man who comes in later to clean them out. The humor here is from the details of this man’s life and job. He takes pride in being the best port-a-potty clean around and that translates to a gleeful look at life that transcends the difficulties he faces along the way. Since this was an independent film from down under it would normally be difficult to find here in the States. Fortunately Xenon Pictures and Lion’s Gate have made a DVD release out of it. It is increasingly rare for a film to capture the imagination of the audience the way this one does so well. It has been a darling of the festival circuit for good reason; it works as a comedy and will make you laugh.

The film was written by Clayton Jacobson and his brother Shane, who also stars as the main character. This is Clayton’s second script, his first for a feature film and Shane’s freshman screenplay. It is amazing that a pair so new to writing has crafted such a well thought out and constructed story line. What makes the character of Kenny so wonderful to watch is although he has a job that holds a great deal of distain for the public he never sees himself as low class or a victim. He is a working stiff like the rest of us. Kenny travels through his life happy that he is expert at providing a required service for others and that is able too sustain him when life doesn’t work out the way he would like. Kenny is the kind of guy any of us would love to sit down, watch a game and throw back a few beers with. The humor is such that we never laugh at him instead you will find yourself laughing along with him even when he is the joke. It is a good lesson in how to take life on its own terms but finding humor in anything you come across. Most working class comedies are typically based on an ongoing class struggle. This is not the case here. The rich are not made fun of, they exist to throw the parties and festivals that require the port-o-potties that keep Kenny employed. This gives a feeling of us all being a part of what makes the world. Each of us has a place that perhaps circumstances have places us in but it is possible to find joy no matter what. The comedy is not mean spirited, it is uplifting and done to perfection.

Clayton has been honing his skills as a director for a number of years now. Unlike so many of his contemporaries in the Indy film world he was smart enough to take his time and develop the skills necessary to pull off a movie. Most of his previous experience is with short films. It would be great if more young directors had the patience to work on these smaller projects before rushing into a feature length film. This training in shorts has paid off for Jacobson. You can tell by the way many of the scenes are self contained almost vignettes. Each of these is constructed in an amazing fashion. When strung together in the film the result is a synergy; the whole greater than the sum of its parts. His style nicely reflects life; a series of things that just happen. This is looser than most real documentaries but considering the topic and characters this free wheeling approach is successful.

The film begins with a quote from Stadtler Lewis ‘None are less visible than those we decide not to see’. We then meet Kenny (Shane Jacobson). He is working on some heavy machinery moving the port-o-potties into place. Meanwhile a Kenny is also shown taking an order for an upcoming event calculating from the number in attendance how many units they will need. This is the daily workings of the Splashdown Company. Kenny is a professional and needs to know the details of the event; the type of food, whether alcohol is being served and if curry will be included in the food. All of this goes into the meticulous formula Kenny uses to determine the requirements. He is a divorced man but in many ways this is a good thing for him. His ex-wife is a shrew of the first magnitude. When she left him she took his son with her. Kenny also lost his beloved mother a short time ago so he is dealing with a lot of loss in his life. Summer has just arrived in Melbourne and this is the busy season for Kenny. Everybody is having some sort of big outdoor event and the guests and participants will need a place to relieve themselves. Kenny does get a break in the action when his boss sends with to Nashville to attend a trade show of new potty related products. Kenny is thrilled but there is a little apprehension since this will be his first international flight. The film also shows other changes that are on the horizon for Kenny. His father is hospitalized and needs a costly operation. Kenny is also offered a chance to move up to management which would mean an end to the ‘hands on’ work he loves so much.

After so much R rated or mean spirited comedies it is fantastic to finally see one that is human, gentle and touching. You will laugh throughout the movie but never have any sense of feeling guilty about humor at the expense of others. It is about time a director gave credit to the audience for having intelligence with a comedy. Kenny is a great character and obviously comes from the heart of the Jacobson brothers. This team is bound to go far in the film industry and that is a very good thing. Xenon and Lion’s Gate are a wonderful source of little Indy gems like this. Get this one and enjoy it with the whole family.