Movie Review: Shades of Gray by Michael

Posted by:

Luke recently put me onto this movie, and honestly I am not a huge fan of most indie comedies I have seen. However this one Shades of Gray makes me regret I did not watch it the first day that Luke put it on our site. This is one of the funniest damn movies I have ever seen. And I am not talking indie, I am talking movies period. This one can hold its own against any movie. To kick things off, here is the synopsis of Shades of Gray

Eric is a bastard. He has systematically humiliated, back-stabbed and left out to dry his five best friends. Now it's their turn. Sneaking into his place one night, they swipe his "little black book" containing the names and sexual habits of the forty-odd women he's slept with. Now, he has to prove to them that he's truly sorry or the book is going in the mail...to his girlfriend, the one woman he thinks he might actually love.

Each of his buddies sit him down in turn, making him listen to the sometimes cruel, always hilarious ways he's managed to piss them off to the breaking point. Is Eric sorry? Will his friends forgive him? Did he really f*ck a girl with a hot dog? The answers to these questions and more await you in...SHADES OF GRAY. A tale of morality and friendship.

This movie is full of great little adventures, with a cohesive story and a great soundtrack that just had me laughing from start to finish and wishing I had a better quality version I could pop into my DVD player to share with my friends. Great one liners like "Chubby has a Chubby" and sound snippets from the Million dollar Man make this movie a laugh from start to end. The subtleness and the use of more then just one line jokes is what makes this movie as funny as it is.

As much as this is a comedy, and had plenty of humor it did actually have a direction. The overall premise of this movie is a group of friends, and their one sick buddy Eric who is always trying to get some.

The movie from start to finish had me chuckling. The thing I liked most about this movie is it wasnt all about slapstick. Many times I was chuckling at the soundtrack, or the choice of sound effects as much as I was the actions in the movie. The combination of good teen acting, in the grain of American Pie, with some great soundtracks reminded me very much of American Pie, and Road Trip. The teens who play the various roles in this movie are not the best actors going, but they are not shabby by any means.

The camera use in this film is the most complex I have seen thus far in any indie movie, without it coming across as over done. From underwater pool scenes from the "enraged boyfriend" scene, to the use of different angles during conversations to let you feel you are actually a part of the movie. The person who setup the camera angles, and the camera direction needs a pat on the back. That is the one big thing that makes this movie stand out over other indie movies. Many films have good direction, and decent acting, but combine that with some outstanding camera use and you have a great movie. This one has all of that.

Overall I give this movie a 9/10. If you are a fan of American Pie, or other films in that grain this movie is for you. It has plenty of expletives that will appeal to those of you who like your comedy on the edge, as well as some very funny scenes that are not exactly parent worthy. If this movie was on DVD it would be the #1 film to buy for me this year, as of now. The total running time is 1hour 15minutes, and every minute is worth watching. The best part of this movie is you can head to the movie section on our site and download the entire movie and watch it. Check it out, then post your thoughts on our indie forum!

Keep an eye out for Jesse Cowell and his crew. We may be the first to really put the spotlight on them, but we wont be the last. The talent is obvious, and I see some big things in the works for the entire crew behind Shades of Gray.