Movie Review: ‘The Clapper’

Review by James Lindorf

The Clapper, the latest film from writer and director Dito Montiel, which made its debut at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival, will be hitting theaters and VOD on January 26th 2018. Eddie Krumble (Ed Helms) moves to Los Angeles looking for a fresh start and becomes a professional audience member for infomercials along with his best friend Chris (Tracy Morgan). Eddie seems to have finally caught a break, as he forms a bond with charming gas station attendant, Judy (Amanda Seyfried). But when Eddie’s many disguises and enthusiasm catch the eye of a notorious late-night talk show host (Russell Peters), Eddie’s life is turned into the newest national obsession, threatening his budding romance. Featuring an amazing cast that also includes Adam Levine, PJ Byrne, Leah Remini and Alan Thicke, on top of numerous cameos, this small film has the power to shine as bright as any blockbuster.

Thanks to Oriah Entertainment, Momentum Pictures and Entertainment One, Montiel was finally able to adapt his 2007 novel, Eddie Krumble Is the Clapper, inspired by Montiel’s real life friend Eddie who travelled with the director from New York to Hollywood where they hoped to make new lives. The Clapper fits in with the style of films typically written by Montiel. They tend to be about someone who is struggling. Whether it is the loss of a loved one, the trials of war or the devastation of poverty, there is always something the characters have to overcome. How you feel about Montiel’s films is directly related to how you connect with those characters.

The film’s three main characters Eddie, Judy and Chris are incredibly likable and quirky. The drawback is that all of them are odd in very similar ways. They all struggle with carrying normal conversations, which can be incredibly frustrating at the stressful points the film. You want to grab their arms, shake them, and yell at them to spit it out, to get to the point or start over because what they are saying doesn’t make sense. Even though the conversations don’t come easily, when they are finally capable of expressing themselves, it comes across as genuine and heartfelt. The struggle at the front and center of this film is Eddie’s fight to overcome the 15 minutes of fame he never wanted. Below the surface is the fact that Eddie moved to Hollywood with no plan, but plenty of despair, after a personal tragedy back home in New York. What appears to be a quirky rom-com on its surface actually goes much deeper when we realize Eddie is also struggling to make his way back to some level of normalcy. Peters, Levine and Byrne play the host and producers of the Jayme Stillerman Show, which is the driving force behind Eddie’s unexpected popularity. While entertaining, these characters are the more stereotypical Hollywood types. They love you if you can make them money, but want nothing to do with you if can’t.

This film is sweet, funny and well worth the watch. My biggest complaint is that the second act runs long. The bit about who is the clapper and the beginning of Eddie and Judy’s relationship starts to feel a tad repetitive before the film makes the turn into the third and final act. Montiel has created a familiar and down-to-earth story about a man who wants to be left alone by the world at large, but to be surrounded by his friends and the woman he loves, all built around a profession most people never considered.