Plot Summary
David Weathersby has no clear direction in life, especially after being fired from his job by his hotshot boss, who is impressed with himself. He feels like he doesn’t have any purpose and decides to languish away, so his roommate decides to introduce him to a random life coach he ran into so David can find a fresh purpose for himself. But this introduction only creates a problematic love triable between David, his old boss, and the life coach. Will this silliness ever be resolved?
Production Quality (2 points)
In a change from previous Rebel Pilgrim productions, such as Hope Bridge and the awful Fenced Off, A Strange Brand of Happy at least has an above-average production. Video quality, camera work, and audio quality are all fine. The soundtrack is a bit silly, however, and there is some odd soft lighting throughout. There are also a lot of cheesy animated interludes that give the movie a juvenile feel. Also, a lot of the sets are relatively limited, as well as the props, and there are no real locations. Finally, editing is just average and contributes to a slightly above-average, but not quite all-the-way-there production.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Full of cheesy and quirky characters, this story is just a childish romantic ‘comedy’ based on a silly and manufactured love triangle. Nearly all the humor is very forced and dry and is thus not funny. There is too much pointless goofiness throughout, including silliness for the sake of being silly. At times, this story feels like a joke, and it contains some very vague Christian themes. With no real direction or purpose, this plot is just a bunch of random content assembled in a formulaic and predictable fashion, with a side of weird edgy elements and a very strange tone throughout. Any meaning that is tried to be inserted at the end is too little too late, thus making for mostly a waste of time.
Acting Quality (1 point)
This cast is very stiff and wooden in their delivery, as well as awkward. There is definitely not enough coaching here, although there are some good moments to note. However, there is a lot of odd makeup work throughout, as well as some unnecessary yelling throughout. In the end, this rounds out an overall low-average and basically low-effort film.
Conclusion
Rebel Pilgrim certainly knows how to make a strange brand of movies. What exactly are they going for? They’ve attempted the dramatic emotional exploration in Hope Bridge and the stupid comedies in Fenced Off and A Strange Brand of Happy, but what do they really have to show for it? They also present a strange brand of Christianity in their films, so perhaps the title of this movie is not by accident. Are they actually just trolling like The Asylum to see what some money they can make off of their efforts? Your guess is as good as ours.
Final Rating: 3 out of 10 points
Box Office Revolution 