Don’t Shoot the Pharmacist!
Here’s proof of how durable the “Clerks” formula is. Even more than in Kevin Smith’s own “Clerks II,” Dave Broitman’s comedy takes the “Clerks” idea of being stuck at work, and turns it on Pharmacists at a 24/7 pharmacy store. The result is fresh and funny.
“I’m not supposed to be here today” is the mantra for such films. In this case, it belongs to Zack (Ben Bailey), a Pharmacist who’s called into work when another one gets sick. He’s stuck at the store, with his tech Ty (Edwin Matos Jr.), even though he was supposed to have a date with Rachel and see his roommates’ comedy act tonight. Needless to say, the evening gets…a little strange.
How strange? There’s a mishap with some Milk of Magnesia, sexual double entendres, fantasies, a patient gets hit in the balls, a junkie looks for some needles, and well, all sorts of surrealism dealing with sex, heroism, and dreams, like Zack’s to be a casino dealer. On top of which, an OCD patient (Jayson Simba) sticks around, waiting for his doctor to call, and he gets word that his on and off girlfriend Rachel is out with the person he’s replacing tonight.
Broitman was a pharmacist before he was a filmmaker, which helps, because you do start to believe he knows what he’s talking about. Not just about being a pharmacist, but also about what he deals with. This makes the comedy work even better, since while you can make this shit up, it makes it better that you believe it. He also gets natural performances from his actors, who have won Emmys (like Wright) and starred in the likes of things like “Soul Plane” and “The Dave Chappelle Show.” Impressive stuff, even when you start to worry that the pharmacist will actually be shot.
Even in 79 minutes, Broitman shows as strong gift for telling stories that are simple, well-developed, and don’t need a lot of flash to be told (although the fantasy sequences are a very nice touch to distinguish this from “Clerks”). We even get some treats in the credits- Zack’s roommates’ act, and some outtakes. Too much fun was had during this film. Thankfully, you’ll have as much fun watching it.
