Billy (James Manzello) just wants to finish his work. However, that's not easy for the supermarket errand boy when he's surrounded by bullying butchers, childish cashiers and a lazy boss.

If Falling Down had a shorter and more light-hearted cinematic cousin, it would likely look a lot like writer/director Matt Post's Super Spree, a 16-minute jaunt through the mind of a generally positive yet increasingly fed-up employee delightfully portrayed by James Manzello with just enough edge that you're never exactly sure where he's going and where he's going to end up by film's end.

Super Spree is filled with darkly absurd comedy grounded in just the right amount of reality. The Food Dynasty supermarket that serves as the setting for Super Spree feels like someplace we've all worked before, with slacker co-workers and impossible working conditions that manage to turn what should be a relatively easy work day into a day that leaves you wanting to claw someone's eyes out. Manzello captures it all quite nicely, a weaving together of the good worker bee with a worker who may have actually been pushed a little too far.

D.P. Rommel Genciana's camera work is quite strong, a perfect complement to Post's humorous yet pointed dialogue and scenes that unfold in such a way that you'll find yourself wishing Billy would go whup ass on his co-workers long before he shows any signs of starting to crack. The original music by Philip Quinaz helps keep the film energized despite a couple of slower scenes that could afford to be tightened up a bit.

The film really picks up energy in scenes where Billy is joined by a constantly stoned co-worker, Trevor (Seiji Uchida), who also seems to be about his only actual friend in the place. The two give off a Jay & Silent Bob vibe that will give you an extra chuckle and both Uchida and Manzello seem to feed off one another's energy. It would be interesting to set these two loose in their own film, lose a bit of the extraneous material in this one and, in all likelihood, you'd have one freakin' hilarious film.

However, the film that's left here is also quite entertaining. Super Spree is dark,edgy, funny and just a little bit eerie. Behind a super strong performance by James Manzello, Super Spree is a solid new short film from New York-based Bora Bora Films.

Check it out for yourself above and visit the film's website linked in the credits to the left.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic