Movies are more than just a form of entertainment or a source of information. They are a reflection of the times they were made. Even the silliest of films can mirror what is currently of great concern to the public. Often these serious issues are presented in a light hearted fashion in order to help the people most affected by them feel just a little bit better. At this time one of the most pressing concerns of the American public is the economy. Many of the talking head experts on the cable news argue over the use of terms such as ‘recession’, ‘down turn’ or even the ultimate, ‘depression’ but this is nothing more than a matter of meaningless semantics if you are out of work and unable to support your family. The film ‘Unemployment’ by Dale Stelly attempts to take this premise to a humorous level to offer a little emotional relief for the audience. It also features another common thread in movies, the failure to make your dreams come true. The movie is overall juvenile and ever ridiculous. Yet there are some endearing moments to the flick. The main characters are basically the likeable sort of idiots that have been a mainstay of comedy since its beginning. No matter how badly the economy has treated you there is a certain feeling of ‘I’m better then these guys’ that will run through your mind while watching the movie. While the negative stigma about a direct to DVD release has been somewhat lessen in recent years it still can mean that there was no possibility for a any financial gain with a theatrical release. This film was also made a few years ago and remained on the studio’s shelves until now. This usually indicates the film was considered a non-starter. There are aspects of this that are true but if you are just looking for a piece of light puerile entertainment then this one just might do. The release is from Lion’s Gate and like many of their releases they go for movies that are out of the ordinary and this one certainly qualifies.

Marvin Hayes and Dale Stelly produced the script for this flick. Hayes is a newcomer to the field; this is his freshman opus. Steely previously wrote, directed a produced a couple of other comedies geared towards the African American audience. This movie is just silly enough to appeal to the inner junior high school student in most of us. The story is about two long time friends, Jamel (Godfrey) and Dax (James Leary) who have thought about little else other than becoming working actors. They have concentrated as best they could on achieving their goal but after some ten long years they have not managed to obtain a single speaking role. Their financial reserve was meager to begin with and has finally run out. They are faced with eviction and have to come up with some means of employment as fast as possible. Unfortunately, in the course of pursuing acting as a career they never managed to obtain any type of skills that could remotely be considered marketable. This may be relatable for many out there on a very specific level. Of late a lot of people have been working at their careers for many years only to find they are unemployed. Since they have been working on improving a specific skill set they are now too old and too inexperienced in general to find work. This is not just something happening in one specific part of our culturally diverse society but cuts across boundaries of race, gender and age. The nature that this film is presented will appeal mostly to the guys in the audience. In this it is a typical ‘R’ rated comedy that depends on forms of humor that lacks a certain degree of refinement.

As the film opens Jamel and Dax are in their apartment relaxing. Jamel points out a fine SUV in the magazine he is reading thinking about the day he can afford a vehicle like it. The reality comes slamming home to the pair. It is the first of the month and neither one has his half of the rent. Any moment Mrs. Bundy (Sarah Scott) will be at the door demanding their rent be paid in full. This is not an uncommon occurrence and this time Mrs. Bundy will evict them. Making matters worse the letter carrier stops by with a handful of mail. Each letter is a bill marked in bright red overdue. Next the cable guy (Jason Rosell) comes by to tell them they are 60 days past due and unless they make the payment by five that afternoon he will shut off their service. Then the gas man comes by and unless they pay today he will terminate their service as well. The final blow to the boys is the appearance of the dreaded Mrs. Bundy who looks like the queen of the Hollywood sex pots in her off the shoulder top. She also wants their account clear by end of business. The guys have to come up with a significant amount of money by the end of the day or else. We cut to Ramone (Roberto Sanchez) interviewing a pair of twins (Rayne Aspengren and Merlynne Williams). The odd thing is one is white while the other is black. Okay, you were warned this is a silly flick and this is just the beginning. Meanwhile back at the apartment the guys come to the sudden realization that they need jobs now. Yes, they are not the brightest bulbs around and this is with no illicit substances in sight. This is almost a stoner flick without the drugs. Between the two Jamel is the more level headed one while Dax is just good old fashion stupid. Just then Ramone, their agent, calls them and tells the boys he has an audition for them. They get there and sign in but when they are called it turns out there are at the wrong audition. With no other options the guys start off on a journey of one bad job after another. They are ill equipped to handle any of them and none of them last very long.

The film does drag quite a bit. The scenes are often prolonged beyond what they should be to ensure a quick and even flow of the film. One example is the scene before they guys discover they are at the wrong audition. Several throw away characters are seen auditioning. This didn’t forward the story at all and was only good as a little inside industry joke that is best appreciated by aspirating actors. The humor is situational and most of the beginning is endless repetition. Things do pick up after they start trying other jobs but that also quickly descends into the mundane.

Lion’s Gate offers such a wide variety of films you just can’t expect all of their releases to appeal to everyone or ever work out in general. This film is such a case.