(out of 5)
directed by: Henrique Couto
starring: Titus Wolverton, Erin R. Ryan, Henrique Couto, Josh Miller, Jeff Burr, Joni Durian, Eric Widing, Marylee Osborne, Iabou Windimere, Joe Kidd, Geoff Burkman, Adam Scott Clevenger, Cassandra Engber, Hailey Elisa
format: Online Review Screener
The Movie: Henrique does it again. Never was a a fan of anything non-horror indie film wise till Henrique Couto. I love the Couto movie family and can't wait to see what else Henrique has in store for 2016 and on. Comedy, horror, western, family, drama, holiday movie, each one attempted is another notch on the bed post of genres Couto has nailed. The man cares about what he's doing, this isn't just boner boy boobs and gorehound gore thrown around in an attempt to make easy money. Yes easy, that stuff is most certainly easy to do and make money from. What's hard is to challenge yourself and explore other areas of filmmaking and writing. Henrique shines at this. No I haven't LOVED everything he has made but the hard work and dedication shows and Making Out is no exception. This is one of Couto's best movies period. Maybe it was the personal associations I have with the, "dating" scene and past relationship failures but either way awesome movie and here's why.
The Script: Beginning to end had me in stiches. Starting out with a quick silly scene with Joe Kidd and Iabou Windimere two of Couto's regulars and favorites of mine the movie quickly introduces you to Charlie played by Titus Wolverton who is a bit of screenwriter and filmmaker. But Charlie is also a hopeless romantic who is kind of fed up with dating women who take selfies in bathrooms, even on the pot. This whole thing made me smile because there is a lot of truth in it and I personally identified with Charlie immediately. In comes Erin played by my all time favorite indie lady Erin R. Ryan who answered one of Charlie's ads for an actress to play a part for a shower scene he was shooting. From there Charlie begins a sort of pretend relationship with Erin after the two compile a scheme to write and act out their biggest romantic desires with three very import rules. "Don't break character, don't get weird, and making out only." From dinner at a nice restaurant to a scary night in a tent the two of them play a tempting game of entanglement which of course gets weirder and weirder as it goes on. Loved the dialogue, loved the little romantic scenes all of which are interrupted by one thing or another, and loved the whole dynamic between Charlie and Erin. Spot on scriptwriting.
The Acting: Titus...kudos you wowed me in this one. Erin well no need to further my respect for this young lady she nails the character every time. Josh Miller has a small part in this and one of my favorite lines of the movie which I won't spoil here. Joni Durian is in this another wonderful little part played by a Couto regular I love to see. Also we have Eric Widing as well who while is one of the nicest guys I've ever chatted with also has the most evil look about him of anyone in the indie scene with the one exception of Fred Vogel. And of course Henrique himself is in this which is always a plus because Henrique is a character to say the least. Bradley Diehl is a bit of a new face who was introduced to me in Awkward Thanksgiving and I must point out that this man needs to be in more movies. At first in Awkward Thanksgiving I didn't know what to think of him he was a bit crazy. Now after playing a wrestler in this one and friend of Charlie's I just must see more of his lunacy. Couto's family of actors and crew are a lot of the reason I love his movies. Met almost all of them and their some of the best people in the biz. Kudos to you all on this one.
The Shots: Well done. Couto has some really nice shots in Making Out. The fountain scene, the place where Charlie goes to think, and the whole wedding shot was gorgeous. But I'm an outdoor wedding guy so kind of bias. Lots and lots of dialogue in this one and not one of the shots of the couple is out of place in anyway. Watching a lot of movies in the indie scene sometimes for whatever reason people speaking to one another is lost with bad camera angles. It can be frustrating. Never with Henrique. Can't think of one instance and I own all his films save Bulldog for Christmas.
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