Express: Aisle to Glory (1998) User Reviews

Hooray for the bag boy!

[LoMaffei · 8/10 · 12 August 2008]

This is a witty and funny film about a supermarket bag boy who struggles to be the best at his craft. As such, it's also a spoof of American competitiveness in business and sports, and a good example of the mockumentary genre. The voice-over, talking heads, location shooting, and cameo appearance from Bob Costas all contribute to a convincing documentary tone. The Costas appearance itself mocks various clichés of sportscasting and American heroism.

Good, clean production values, especially for a student film. Also fun if you're a fan of Kal Penn (from his pre-Harold and Kumar days), though his role is small and not that important to the film.

Brilliant

[denocom · 10/10 · 17 December 2001]

A wonderful documentary style parody that is hysterical. I saw this short film on HBO and could not stop laughing. This creative short combined the authenticity of an NFL Films tribute, with Harry Kalas narrating, and Bob Costas giving a charming after thought on the great ones like Mark "Dizzy" Gillespie. Charlie Murphy can go back to cooking Johnsonville Brats because in the world of pro bagging, Dizzy is still king.

I gave 2 years of my life to this movie

[colaboytherd · 10/10 · 11 March 2006]

and all i got was a stomach ache! I stumbled into my living room late one night, and my father had fell asleep on the remote. Being to lazy to move him (not to mention to weak) i waited till the commercials were over, and this movie came on.

Minus the profanity, which I enjoyed, I was a zombie for this seemingly real bag boy championship movie. It was gut wrenchingly intense. I felt the fear of Dizzy as he sweat through his race to glory. How could anyone not love this movie? I found it coming on the next day, tape recorded it, and watched it repeatedly until I was 19. Where has my life gone?

Yet another one-joke parody

[Randall Good · 2/10 · 8 August 2001]

Why is it that young filmmakers think that one single joke can sustain ten minutes of film?

This short does just that, begging us to laugh over and over again at the prospect of supermarket bagging being a sport. I laughed when the joke was first presented to me. The silliness was cute.

Cuteness wear off... ...fast.

Yet, since this project comes from the reputable USC Film School, and it's exposed well, and it looks professionally made, it was shown in Cannes at the Kodak Emerging Filmmakers showcase. It certainly was a proper demonstration on how student's can properly exposed Kodak film stock. If intelligence-insulting commercials are the future for young filmmakers, then this film found its appropriate venue.

Kodak should be proud.