Imagine if a spoiled rich brat like Paris Hilton made a sex tape (I know, it’s a real stretch, but stay with me here) and, in one angry tirade went to cool off and dropped in her rental tape at the local video store and in her frustration, gave them her sex tape instead? Now you know the plot of “Drop Box”, a hilarious observational comedy about a video stores clashing with a pop princess (Rachel Sehl). Except the brat in question is not Paris Hilton, but a bitchy celebrity. But before the actual plot kicks off “Drop Box” is an utterly hilarious story revolving around an irate video store clerk, and from the beginning it’s clear that directors Anesty & Spiros Carasoulos has an actual grasp on what the term comedy means.
In one utterly laugh out loud sequence, the clerk begins ruining surprise endings for an annoying customer (Now that’s revenge!), and the Carasoulos’ capture the work a day irritations that plague all us working folk. David Cormican gives a very funny performance as a normal guy forced to deal with the idiocy of his customers and finds himself stuck in a larger situation that he’s responsible for. Rachel Sehl, who does an imitation of a Britney Spears archetype but ironically looks a lot like Mandy Moore, is believable as a spoiled pop brat who is bitchy enough to warrant us anxious to see if she gets what she has coming to her, but nice enough to keep us rooting for her. “Drop Box” goes from a comedy about an irate minimum wage pusher, to a morality story about karma.
Sometimes what goes around really does come around, and it comes around hard, and our main character Tom gives Mindy that very message. The Carasoulos’ comedy is both enlightening and funny, and it’s a surefire treat. One aspect about “Drop Box” you’ll have to keep in mind is suspension of disbelief. Why would a pop star who has supposedly sold over five million albums rent a VHS from a rental store in a local neighborhood, and why would she go herself, without an entourage, and not be instantly recognized or bombarded by customers? Hell, it’s stated that many of these people don’t watch MTV so they don’t know her, but I don’t watch MTV (I have taste and a brain, what can I say?) or much TV and I know who Kelly Clarkson, or any other crappy pop singer is.
And why would a successful pop star do it with a VHS and not something more advanced? It’s little plot points like that that are never fully touched upon, thus I was left with nagging questions that never glued together as a solid believable story. Not to mention the second half really never keeps up with the pace it sets in the first half by becoming utterly predictable in terms of the relationship of Tom and Mindy. It’s great to see comedies that are actual comedies, and it’s nice to see people who have a grasp on dialogue and human idiosyncrasies. In spite of a weak second half, “Drop Box” is a great film. It excels because it’s a hilarious, has great dialogue, and very good performances. It’s like “Clerks”. But funny.