Marlon
and Leo are just brimming with resentment for the one-percenters, because they
want to be part of them. At least they are more honest than most people who use
that term. They are going to steal from them outright. Of course, their breaking-and-entering
escapades will take on several unforeseen complications in Jason Headley’s A Bad Idea Gone Wrong (trailer here), which opens today
and tomorrow in select cities.
Marlon
has a stupid fantasy of pulling a stick-up job, like the diner scene in Pulp Fiction, but Leo has the fractionally
less stupid idea of burglarizing a house in a gated community. He knows the
couple will be out of town, because she is his ex-fiancée, whom he has been
cyber-stalking. Leo tries to keep those awkward facts to himself, but they will
come out soon enough.
Frankly,
Marlon has a somewhat clever method for getting into the gated development, but
he reverts to form when he inadvertently arms the security alarm. Suddenly,
they are trapped inside the house, at least until they can figure out the code.
Perhaps the house-sitter they are completely surprised to find dozing in the
master bedroom can help.
Bad Idea is small in scope,
but rather funny, albeit in a modest way. As Marlon and Leo, Matt Jones and
Will Rogers bicker and banter with easy, credible rapport. However, Eleanore Pienta
scores most of the biggest laughs as Darcy, the house-sitter with a quickly
revealed secret. It is hard to resist laughing when she is giving those two sad
sacks what-for.
This
is an enjoyable film in the moment, but absolutely nothing about it sticks in a
viewer’s subconscious. It barely stretches to eighty-five minutes, including
the end credits, yet it still feels padded. Still, if you want a pleasant film
that leaves absolutely no baggage behind, this would be it. It was actually a
Jury Award winner at SXSW, which just goes to show the Austin-based fest is no
Sundance.
