Written and directed by Steve Lifshey, while attempting a love connection, an obnoxious guy gets trapped inside his own coat at a laundromat. Starring: Bj Gruber, Jackie McCarthy, Timothy J. Cox, Mel House, Eva Visco and Zack Watson.
There’s interestingly a mix of old-fashioned and modern to Static Cling, while its story links up with relevant themes to today, it’s sense of humour harks to the past. It’s the type of comedy you’d see a lot in the late nineties and early noughties, in shows like Everybody Loves Raymond or The King of Queens.
It’s silly and is fond of pratfalls and physical comedy, which makes for an odd mix with trying to capture a modern meet cute. It doesn’t entirely work, especially as its leading character is so intentionally obnoxious, it’s hard not to root for his downfall and humiliation, even if the perspective is on his side.
Another way its style feels old-school is including a side story, of a man and his quest to solve the phantom drop of the vending machine. It’s a nice addition but with its limited involvement and without any other tangents to balance it out with the main story, it feels mostly disconnected. It would have been interesting to see Steve Lifshey turn it into a triptych of stories of highly unusual interactions in this hugely mundane setting, to really push the contrast and bring a bigger level of quirk and chaos.
The visual style can also lean into those nostalgic vibes, tending to be overly bright, as well as overwhelming things with the music choices. It takes away from the natural feel, so it’s not quite hitting that everyday note. However, it does move well, Lifshey gives it a nicely snowballing pace, it’s not too rushed neither too slow. The tone simply feels slightly off balance, as if the atmosphere wants to go for a humbling experience but it’s missing the sincerity to really hit home.
Although, that’s no shortcoming of the performances which are good work across the board. Bj Gruber hits that douchebag button nice and hard while Jackie McCarthy brings a great blend of apathetic, unimpressed and sarcastic. The two have a decent banter-filled, almost-chemistry which serves as the heart of Static Cling.
Then we have the ensemble trying to fill that quirky quota, starting with Timothy J. Cox as our man fighting for candy justice. Again, it’s a good addition but it’s actually a shame they didn’t give him more to do, to allow him to lean into the chaos and let him go a little nuts. Mel House arguably strikes the strongest tone of the whole cast, the blend of strange and very involved yet helpful that she captures is right where it needs to be. She’s funny, blunt and handy.
Static Cling throws it back to beloved sitcoms of the 1990s with mishaps and fumbling romance. Trying to bring that style into today is a tall order and it isn’t entirely successful, the intentions are there but it feels slightly loud and missing that quirky charm. There’s a great cast at work and they all definitely had the potential to take this further, but the visual style and music choices are holding it back from creating a stronger connection and relatable feel.
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