A website manager (Glenn Howerton) enlists the help of his two friends in order to convince the owners of his favorite coffee shop -- which doubles as his office -- not to turn their business into a bar.
The world of comedy has changed, perhaps radically, over the past few years. Traditionally, comedy was the domain of film, television and stand-up. But now we are seeing the growth of Internet comedy, which in some cases eclipses the old model. Funny or Die is consistently hilarious, and even SNL alum Andy Samberg grew more in popularity from YouTube plays of Lonely Island songs than he did on television. Jon LaJoie was able to land a role on "The League" from his Internet fame.
And now we are seeing these upstarts, like LaJoie, transitioning to television and movies and changing the game. "Drunk History" is a prime example ,and so is College Humor, which brought us "Coffee Town". Wisely, they teamed up with writer-director Brad Copeland ("Arrested Development") and cast some amazing stars, Glenn Howerton ("Always Sunny") and Ben Schwartz ("Parks and Rec").
Perhaps the most clever casting was actually Josh Groban, who plays Howerton's nemesis, a barista and struggling musician. Not known for his acting, he excels with the role and does a fine job subverting his own image as a widely successful musical icon. Although probably not intentional, "Always Sunny" fans will also know that Groban is the favorite musician of Dee Reynolds, the sister of Howerton's character.
Copeland's script (and the way the actors carry it out) make this among the funniest films released in recent years. The subject matter goes over race, homosexuality, midget porn, Down's Syndrome, AIDS and a variety of other taboo topics. And at no point does it ever get offensive or verge from being witty and original. This is humor that is irreverent without ever being degrading or tacky.
Not to mention the inherent truth of the setup. This is very much your typical coffee shop with its patrons, many of whom want only to use the wi-fi or read a free newspaper. And one character even takes up smoking so he can get extra breaks during the day -- a phenomenon that any non-smoker is fully aware of and possibly envious of, as well.
Anyway, this film seems to have gone under the radar thus far, and one hopes this will change in the near future upon its DVD release. With so many quotable lines and fun, quirky characters, this could grow to be a minor cult classic.
The world of comedy has changed, perhaps radically, over the past few years. Traditionally, comedy was the domain of film, television and stand-up. But now we are seeing the growth of Internet comedy, which in some cases eclipses the old model. Funny or Die is consistently hilarious, and even SNL alum Andy Samberg grew more in popularity from YouTube plays of Lonely Island songs than he did on television. Jon LaJoie was able to land a role on "The League" from his Internet fame.
And now we are seeing these upstarts, like LaJoie, transitioning to television and movies and changing the game. "Drunk History" is a prime example ,and so is College Humor, which brought us "Coffee Town". Wisely, they teamed up with writer-director Brad Copeland ("Arrested Development") and cast some amazing stars, Glenn Howerton ("Always Sunny") and Ben Schwartz ("Parks and Rec").
Perhaps the most clever casting was actually Josh Groban, who plays Howerton's nemesis, a barista and struggling musician. Not known for his acting, he excels with the role and does a fine job subverting his own image as a widely successful musical icon. Although probably not intentional, "Always Sunny" fans will also know that Groban is the favorite musician of Dee Reynolds, the sister of Howerton's character.
Copeland's script (and the way the actors carry it out) make this among the funniest films released in recent years. The subject matter goes over race, homosexuality, midget porn, Down's Syndrome, AIDS and a variety of other taboo topics. And at no point does it ever get offensive or verge from being witty and original. This is humor that is irreverent without ever being degrading or tacky.
Not to mention the inherent truth of the setup. This is very much your typical coffee shop with its patrons, many of whom want only to use the wi-fi or read a free newspaper. And one character even takes up smoking so he can get extra breaks during the day -- a phenomenon that any non-smoker is fully aware of and possibly envious of, as well.
Anyway, this film seems to have gone under the radar thus far, and one hopes this will change in the near future upon its DVD release. With so many quotable lines and fun, quirky characters, this could grow to be a minor cult classic.