American Storage
Wholphin Short Selection Gets Steve Carell To Play Bookend Part
Written by Brendan O'Brien and directed by Andrew Jay Cohen, American Storage, at just over 11 mins, does a fine job of telling an engagingly funny coming-of-age story.
Charlie (Martin Starr) works for a huge indoor storage complex called American Storage. The owner, Rich (Steve Carell,) is leaving for a weekend paintball tournament - and leaving his "baby" in Charlie's hands. O'Brien immediately sets the clock ticking and gives us a sense that if something goes wrong (which we know is going to happen) there will be hell to pay (consequence.)
Kurt (David Krumholtz) is what goes wrong. Charlie is lead to Kurt by a woman's joyous screams (figure it out.) Finding him, or his storage room, isn't very difficult, but when he does find him, he is dumbfounded by what he sees: Kurt is a resident of American Storage. And to top it off, his place is really quite nice - in spite of the port-a-pottie.
Charlie takes to Kurt immediately, clinging to him like a fatherless little boy eager to play catch. And Kurt accepts perhaps all too easily, challenging Charlie to embrace his life. Good advice, as Charlie points out, from a guy who lives in storage facility and never goes out. Again, O'Brien manages some depth in his story by both pitting these characters against each other from the start and making each the other's best friend.
Cohen's direction is tight, with standout moments coming in at key points in this story: the rummaging montage and paintball shot are standouts.
David Krumholtz and Brendan O'Brien are the highlight in American Storage - with Krumholtz's delivery of O'Brien's grocery store slash milk story as the film's best moment.
American Storage is on Wholphin DVD Magazine No. 2.
Various American Storage things:
- Best lines: "Don't drop the baby." "I maintain it myself."
- Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin) executive produced
- 35mm production
