Written and directed by Greg Porper and John Schimke, after lying to her new eccentric coworker Larry about a company party, an ambitious corporate flunky must deal with the unexpected consequences. Starring: Patty Guggenheim, Kiel Kennedy, Kenneth Mosley, Dot-Marie Jones, Ed Begley Jr., Billy Blair, Bruce Davis, Molly Franco and Heath Allyn.
Creating dumb, exaggerated, over the top, awkward cinema is not as easy as you’d think, because most of the time it ends up being too much of all those things and not enjoyable. It’s a balancing act of creating ridiculous situations and reactions but having decent characters and story to still give you a good reason to follow along. Thankfully, Don’t Tell Larry is a pretty decent example of getting that balance right. It’s silly but not too much, it’s chaotic in a low-key way which nicely reflects its office setting, and it has an edge of being cringeworthy but it’s not overwhelming.
Another element that helps get that balance right is that it has a slightly twisted sense of humour and it’s a little bit quirky. It also does well to follow that classic pattern of constantly facing a new setback causing all new hijinks to ensue. Stylistically, Greg Porper and John Schimke don’t push things too far either. They capture the frenzied, hectic energy but don’t try to overcompensate and throw in effects or overly stylised editing. It keeps a fairly grounded style, even if the tone goes purposefully over the top. Although the story can feel fairly drawn out, for this type of comedy, it moves surprisingly slowly.
Having Patty Guggenheim as the lead is undoubtedly another reason Don’t Tell Larry works. She builds a sarcastic tone into Susan’s veins, really capturing how fed up she is and how committed she is to getting the promotion she’s worked for. She’s relatable and builds a great friendship, even if slightly coerced, with Kenneth Mosley’s Patrick. They make for a good duo, especially with Mosley acting as a conscience of sorts to try and keep Susan in check. Kiel Kennedy’s Larry then adds in a completely unknown quantity, he’s entirely unpredictable and tricky to figure out right to the end but he adds an interestingly dark edge. Dot-Marie Jones also makes an excellent cameo.
Don’t Tell Larry is a good bit of easy, over the top, old-school comedy. It’s the type of film that you watch when you’re in need of something that requires little brain power, just simple entertainment. It’s decent fun and throws some great hijinks into the mix but it’s also pretty forgettable. It’s a fairly drawn out story and while the comedy is enjoyable, it’s not creating genuine laugh out loud moments.
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