Search - Humble Pie on DVD

Michelle S. (Chelly10s) from W HOLLYWOOD, CA
Reviewed on 2/7/2011...

This is the story of a humble grocery store clerk who keeps getting the short end of the stick. The movie is very well done, in my opinion, for a low-budget indie. The writing is excellent, and the acting is good. It's not one of those indie films where you have to excuse the supporting cast because they spent all their casting budget on one big name. There's a good amount of material in the special features on the DVD. There's a behind the scenes look at the making of the film, interviews with the actors as well as the crew, and deleted scenes. While a great film, this was not a keeper for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it to others for at least one watch.

2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Great little independent film

Steve Kuehl | Ben Lomond, CA | 12/07/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A wonderful little film that I hope more people hear about. One of those intellectual comedies taking place in small-city America (Utah in this case) with memorable characters and realistic writing. As an FYI I believe when this hit the indie circuit it was called American Fork.

The story follows an extremely overweight adult grocery store clerk who aspires to be an actor and a writer. Unfortunately he is surrounded by the banality of life and untrustworthy souls, with a couple exceptions. One of those exceptions would not be his mother (played in deadpan perfection by Kathy Quinlan; I remember her most from that 4-film rush in 1997 with Zeus & Roxanne, Breakdown, Event Horizon and Lawn Dogs) who acknowledges her son as a loss to humanity, while his isolated sister (24's Mary Lynn Rajskub) attaches herself to the first man who pays attention to her. That man happens to be our main guy's slimy acting teacher played by William Baldwin. Normally I do not rehash plots too much but this film deserves any attention one can muster so hopefully even a small scrip like this will get someone interested. Bruce McGill does a genuine walk-on roll as the clerk's boss, and even in this short role he does much better than he did as a lead in last week's release of Valley of the Heart's Delight. The supplements are great and include:

* 3 featurettes totaling 24:23 minutes. The making-of lasts 9:17 and should be watched by any aspiring crew member as it contains some of the most candid and informative interviews about what it takes to make an independent film. The curtain call supplement has some good info from Hubbell as does the script to screen set. All of the cast interviews are candid and non-fluffy.
* 6 deleted scenes totaling 9:13 minutes. A couple of them helped fill some gaps from the film, but I was saddest to see the National Lampoon's Animal House (30th Anniversary Edition) homage with McGill in one office scene get cut - he sounded like D-Day even if just for a second.

I highly recommend this for those that like the down to earth feel of a low budget independent that has a high budget look filled with solid performances and real outcomes. I almost categorized this in drama, but the very last line of the film blindsides you - I hope it makes you laugh as hard as I did. Nice job crew."

Tracy's adventures reflect the daily challenges of life in t

Midwest Book Review | Oregon, WI USA | 11/16/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Humble Pie is a charming movie following everyman Tracy Orbison (played by Hubbel Palmer), a Midwestern stockboy who writes poetry during shift breaks and daydreams of making more of himself. A burst of inspiration leads him to take an acting class by a pompous local master (wonderfully played by William Baldwin); then one chaotic mishap after another leads him to actively pursue his life's dreams rather than simply wait for them. From mentoring a young delinquent to standing up to his overbearing mother to dealing with his wallflower sister and preparing himself for the monumental hurdle that is the driver's license exam, Tracy's adventures reflect the daily challenges of life in this highly entertaining drama. Bonus features include deleted scenes and brief featurettes. 84 minutes, closed captioned."