I really like where James Cappadoro and writer Frank De Rosa’s heads are with “We Just Want to Play.” There is always someone who is trying to hand us a new kind of college classic like “Animal House” or “Revenge of the Nerds,” and director Cappadoro’s short film has an infectious energy that made it a blast to sit through. The one downfall behind it all is that the movie is only about sixteen minutes in length. Chalk it up to budget or whatnot, but “We Just Want to Play” looks like it has material for at least a ninety minute movie. That said, the current short is fine as it is and works as a very entertaining and fun tribute to classic college comedies about underdogs fighting the alpha males and corrupt deans.
Set in Ruckland University, we meet a group of underdog slackers who are also champion soccer hooligans. When they’re not partying they’re struggling for respect among their school. When the corrupt Athletic Director Richard Dickerman plans to dissolve their funds for his own endeavors, team leader Glenn has to fight for his team. “We Just Want to Play” has all the hallmarks of the classic frat comedy, with the huge parties, a ton of gratuitous nudity, a horn dog best friend to straight man Glen, and of course the corrupt adults that scheme against the heroes. Timothy Cox, despite his limited screen time, does a good job channeling John Vernon.
There are also some really good turns by Lars Lee as the film’s inadvertent protagonist, and Trevor Williams who is deliriously obnoxious as Glen’s best friend Ray. With a larger role, he could be a bonafide fan favorite. While “We Just Want to Play” doesn’t have a lot time to develop genuine laughs, it has an admirable spirit to it, and a nice party movie aesthetic that, with a little more polish, could turn it in to a small cult classic. “We Just Want to Play” is a very good short comedy that wears its influences on its sleeve unabashedly. If you love these kinds of college sex comedies, you will enjoy what director Cappadoro and writer De Rosa create. I hope we can see this idea revived in the future with a feature length and bigger budget.