This has to be a joke. So spoke one incredibly discontented viewer. That doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of this abject failure. To truly capture this attempt, that promises to haunt everyone involved and justifiably derail their careers, it seems appropriate to say that if writer/director Tom Vaughan never directed again, it would be too soon. There's unfortunately so little to review in such a depressingly poor film.
Perhaps the film’s biggest shortcoming is the director’s obvious inability to work with actors and the actors’ subsequent lack of understanding of their characters and scenes. What the movie smacks of is self-flattery. The movie that young filmmakers made with their friends in formative years, where they thought they could believably portray adults and that just getting the lines out was acting. Fortunately, many of those eager youngsters stuck with it, studied and learned, and became the maestros of today. Playing House was tragically made by adults who have a lot of bad movies ahead of them on the way to making one good one.
Some movies are bad enough that they come recommended, just for the experience of surviving a viewing of them. Playing House does not fall into that category. The best suggestion would be to move on to greener pastures.
All right, there was one good thing. At one point, there was a cute pet. It was undeniably endearing and perhaps the most solidly sympathetic character in the film. Then it died.
DVD Bonus Features
None. And they wouldn’t be worth watching if they existed.
"Playing House" is on sale June 21, 2011 and is not rated. Horror. Directed by Tom Vaughn. Written by Tom Vaughn & Kristy Dobkin. Starring Craig Welzbacher, Matt Lusk, Mayra Leal, Sarah Prikryl.
