Zorg and Andy
“Graduate students wouldn’t do it.”
“They threatened to unionize.”
In more ways than I’d like to saddle it with, “Zorg and Andy” reminded me a lot of the first film I’d been asked to review by a filmmaker- “Royal Faceoff.” But whereas that film suffered from a lack of a consistent tone, inexperienced performances, and an amateur filmmaking style, this film almost thrives under such conditions. Of course, the fact that it’s actually billed as a comedy helps.
Andy (Scott Ganyo) is on his last leg academically. He’s given one last chance to hold on to his financial aid by doing a work-study at the Kungsbaden Museum. The museum is on its’ last leg as well after several debacles. Finally, however, they may have stumbled upon something that’ll help them get back on the map. It’s a fertility statue unearthed in a dig- it’s Andy’s job to treat it and preserve it.
But when a mysterious and hot woman comes by late at night to pick it up- calling it Zorg- Andy gives it to her, much to the chagrin of his supervisor Jen (Kate Rudd). They then have to track it down, leading to well, some pretty crazy dealings on campus.
“Zorg’s proctologist doesn’t know him any better than I do.”
The lines of dialogue quoted here are indicative of the tone of the film. Writer V.Z. Montengo and director Guy Davis take 62 minutes to do what some filmmakers can’t do with 92 minutes- make a high-concept comedy that’s funny and engaging, not to mention original. (I haven’t even scratched the surface of some of the film’s funnier, crazier lines.)
The music helps a lot with that. A combination of artists (Kevin Macleod, Twizzle, Coconut Monkeyrocket and Otis Fodder) develop music that keeps the tone light, goofy, and suspenseful, sometimes at the same time.
It’s hard to talk about this movie without wanting to quote or describe the film to the point of **Spoiler Alert**. The college student with the pig’s head. The design of the statue. “The Occult is not as far off as we’d like to think.” The opening sequence. The cabal of women who worship Zorg. (I don’t know that I’d be complaining if I was Andy.) This is the type of thing you see on a show like “The Simpsons” and “Futurama” on a weekly basis. It’s rare that live-action can make something like this work (maybe Monty Python could). Davis and Montengo do a dazzling job of making it look easy without making it look cheesy…not that a little cheese hurts in a situation like this.
