By: debbie lynn elias
Scratching, clawing, whining, biting, bitching, hair pulling, lying, cheating, conning, back stabbing. . .sounds like a cat fight between Krystal and Alexis on “Dynasty”, right? Nope. Gotcha on this one. Finally someone dares to tell the truth. Elements that once seemed exclusive to the women of the world also apply to men (what a shock!), especially when those men are “wannabees.” You know the ones. Wannabe director, wannabe producer, wannabe writer, wannabe millionaire, wannabe actor, wannabe famous actor. But then take it one step further to a has-been wannabe, and in this case, two has-been wannabes. That my friends, is the crux of WANNABE.
Meet Steve Williams. Former member of UK recording boy band sensation Busboyz, Steve-O comes to Hollywood from across the pond. A native of Nottingham, England (yes, like Robin Hood), Steve was a British sensation – and alleged champion dancer – during his days in Busboyz. (and yes, the band was comprised of, you guessed it – busboys.) Unfortunately, those glory days were tragically cut short when the band was involved in a bus accident just as they were embarking on a tour of major shopping malls in the US. Steve, known as the cute one, was the sole survivor. Determined to rebuild his life as a serious actor, he has embraced a left ear deafness caused by the accident, moving upward in the acting world thanks to starring roles in films like “Heir of the Dog” and its sequel, “Heir of the Dog 2”, both of which we hear have caught the eye of uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer!
Not one to be soured by his past, it is with unabashed joy that Steve welcomes former boy-band rival, Paul Stannard, to LA for a visit. Unfortunately, Paul is faced with his own tragedy on arriving at LAX. He has just learned that his aunt, with whom he was to stay, has taken ill and is hospitalized, leaving Paul with nowhere to go. (Has he heard of the Holiday Inn?) Being the upbeat, positive guy that he is however, Steve makes the grand gesture and offers Paul lodging on his couch for a few days.
But wait a minute….Steve seems to have forgotten his anal retentive, psychoanalytical, wannabe actress, has-the-hots-for Steve, roommate Molly Epstein. Tacitly angered about not being consulted before Paul’s flopping on the couch, Molly soon changes her tune when she finds Paul cleaning the house. From vacuuming to dusting and polishing with his favorite products orange Pledge and orange scented Formula 409, Paul is a godsend to Molly – especially when he cooks her breakfast, lunch, dinner, and then offers to start all over again. Hmmm. Is it me or do I smell something afoot besides Paul’’s cleaning chemicals?
Things get even more interesting when Steve not only loses an audition for a coffee commercial for allegedly assaulting and harassing an African-American security guard and using the “N” word, but gets dumped by his manager Stacy Gris, who in turn takes a shine to Paul. Before you can say callback, Paul is out on auditions and cleaning Stacy’s pool, Steve is back bussing tables, Molly has the hots for Paul, and Steve and Paul are fighting like kids in a schoolyard over who really won the Best Dancer trophy at a Battle of Bands over five years ago. (Let’s face it, boys will be boys and never grow up. ) And of course, things really come to a head when Paul gets an audition for “The New Monkees” and Steve doesn’t. Determined to be a part of this “new” tv show (after all, he was always known as “the cute one” Steve proves he’s got the mettle to make it when he “makes up” a manager for himself, namely one Ronnie Deli. Stopping at nothing, Steve aka Ronnie gets himself (Steve) sent out on the casting call and ultimately makes it the network audition – along with Paul. But, who wins the role? Push comes to shove. . . hey, no spoilers here folks! Check it out for yourself! Will Steve become a New Monkee? Will Paul? ill Paul stay with Stacy or will Stacy move on to more fertile talent? And what about Molly? Does she do anything? Ever? And who is the real champion dancer?
Craig Robert Young, who co-wrote the script with director Richard Keith, stars as Steve Williams. More than adequate, he exudes a convincing self-absorbed sincerity laced with mockery that is sooo reminiscent of today’s real life has-been-wannabe tabloid fodder. Adam Huss is superb as the annoyingly smarmy sneaky Paul. Oozing his own oil slick, he is deliciously devious. Unfortunately Anna Becker’s Molly pales in comparison to the two male leads and falls woefully short given Elizabeth Warner’s performance as manager Stacy Gris. Warner simply shines. Garnering laughs with just a look, a leer or a flick of her cigarette, she is a comedic standout. And not to be outdone is Carol Ita White as casting agent Janice Peterson. Daughter of veteran actor Jesse White, she is familiar face to all and brings a believable insanity to her casting character.
Written and shot in mockumentary style, first time director Richard Keith brings a realism to the production that initially had me believing this was a true investigative or “where are they now” report. Shot over the course of five months, Keith and co-writer Young drew from Young’s real life experience as a former boy band member wannabe actor as their inspiration. Thanks to a well crafted story, he stays true to the nature of each character-type, which while clearly exaggerated (or not), all bear a truthful essence with comic undertones. Episodic vignettes only add to the hilarity of the situations at hand. Sticking to lensing basics, Keith avoids the gimmicky and stays with a news-style format which adds to the “credibility” of the events and the film as a whole. Contributing to the successful flow of the production is undoubtedly the fact that Keith also serves as editor enabling him to bring his vision full circle.
Smart, sassy and sarcastic. WANNABE is quite simply a gotta-see.
Steve Williams: Craig Robert Young Paul Stannard: Adam Huss Molly Epstein: Anna Becker Stacy Gris: Elizabeth Warner
Directed by Richard Keith. Written by Craig Robert Young and Richard Keith.
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