STARRING
Taylor Brandt, Todd Terry WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY
Mark Blitch RUNNING TIME
11 Mins. OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE
"Take a Hike" Review
The setup is simple for writer/director Mark Blitch's humorous but affectionate 11-minute short film Take a Hike - Adam (Taylor Brandt), an entrepreneurial wannabe, has taken his girlfriend's father (Todd Terry), on a nature hike with the intention of popping the big question.
A light comedy with touches of genuine heart, Take a Hike picked up the awards for Best Comedy and Best Screenplay - Comedy at L.A.'s 168 festival while being nominated for 10 other awards. Taylor Brandt and Todd Terry are paired well together, Brandt portraying Adam as the sort of lovable loser you might find alongside the gang from the American Pie films and Terry proving to be the perfect foil as the well-meaning father who will likely never meet a guy good enough for his daughter.
Rather than play everything out in a falsely adversarial way, Blitch unfolds the story with what feels like genuine heart and respect for his characters. I've always held the belief that real life is far funnier than any comedy set-up, and Blitch does a nice job of finding the inherent humor in an awkward relationship made even more awkward by the situation.
Camera work by Blitch and Joey Williams is rock solid and capitalizes on the film's woodsy setting. The film is also edited well, with only an occasional shot feeling a touch off pace.
Take a Hike is currently enjoying a bit of a web-based run before Blitch and his crew hopes to return to the indie film fest circuit. For more information, visit the film's Facebook page listed on the credits.
