GIVE ME LIBERTY – Review

Who’s game for a wild ride (not really a joyride) in a big clunky van through the mean streets of…Milwaukee? Hmmm, well it’s not exactly the twisty roads of San Francisco in BULLET, though I was reminded of the Harold Lloyd cab ride with Babe Ruth in SPEEDY. Well, it’s not life or death sequences as in THE FRENCH CONNECTION, but it’s a sure bet that your nerves will be on edge (not in a funhouse way) for most of GIVE ME LIBERTY.

No, the title doesn’t refer to the Revolutionary War. This is a modern fable with the title being the company name of a private shuttle service that uses a specially equipped van to transport the physically challenged. We focus on one of the drivers of said company Vic (Chris Gault), a twentysomething first generation Russian-American. After a quiet talk with a bed-ridden buddy, he soon begins what is (hopefully) his most hectic day on the job. Vic’s up before dawn, getting his Russian-speaking Grandpa ready for the day (they share a tiny apartment in a building that caters to seniors). Then he’s off to transport a blind obese man to his favorite restaurant in town, picking up a young woman on the way (she’s going to a talent show at an adult assisted living facility/training center). A quick stop back at home proves to be trouble. Grandpa’s cooking again (smoke fills their floor). While down at street level a group of elderly residents has been waiting hours for transportation to the cemetary in order to conduct a graveside memorials for a recently departed resident, and yes, Vic gives in to their pleading. Ah, but there’s an unexpected visitor: the deceased’s nephew, a gregarious Russian boxer named Dima (Maxim Stoyanov). As Vic tries to avoided blocked-off streets he has to pick up a no-nonsesne social worker with ALS named Tracy (Lauren ‘Lolo’ Spencer), who immediately calls Vic’s bosses to complain. A mad dash across town takes up Vic’s day, while that night he gets no rest as he must deal with his fretting mother, pregnant sister, and Tracy’s raucus family all while “babysitting” the incresingly obnoxious Dima, who seems to be “hitting” on every lady he sees.

If your idea of a “classic” comedy is a van full of folks screaming at each other in Russian for a half hour or so, then this is the funny flick you’ve been waiting for. The Liberty dispatcher is constantly asking about the van’s location and ETA, while Vic barks out “Five or ten minutes tops!” into the mike. Meanwhile, the Russian mourners alternate between singing hymns and complaining (loudly, natch’), as Dima gobbles up burnt chicken (and anything else he can scoop up). Add Tracy’s angry protests (“They don’t belong here!”) and it’s truly the “ride from Hell”. At least Ms. Spencer and Mr. Gault are trying to act (though Vic is mainly manic and aggrevated). while most of the “real people from the street” cast can be caught gazing into the camera. Plus Stoyanov’s “bull in a china shop” Dima goes quickly from annoying to grating (what’s up with opening the jar). Director Mikhanovsky doesn’t really guide any of the chaotic confrontations, while his editing appears to have been aided by a blender, spewing random close-ups that distract and confuse. Supposedly he co-wrote it with Austen (could the single names in the credit be more pompous), but it has the feel of desperate improvisation based on the barest of outlines (scream then get out of van, then scatter, back in van…repeat). And for instant “indie cred”, we’re treated to lots of smoking! This is pretentious “on the fly” filmmaking for only the most adventurous of moviegoers. For those of us that appreciate coherence over chaos, and story over flashy technique (it goes to black and white during the last act…for no reason), then you’d best hope that you’ve plenty of aspirin when you (thankfully) get home after enduring (it’s a true test of stamina) GIVE ME LIBERTY. And a cold compress.

.5 Out of 4

GIVE ME LIBERTY opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre