There’s no question that Robinson nails his oddball character, with his wide eyes, red pants and annoying way of either evading or parroting back Sadoski’s inquiries.
But there’s frustratingly little to glean from their endless banter. Sodoski is sure that Robinson’s character is a sociopath, so there’s a lot of talk about its definitions. On the other hand, there’s also a lot of talk about Fabreze. There’s a lot of talk in general.
The two big events that are meant to define their relationship — a crash through an attic roof and a car accident with a passerby (Austin Pendleton, another great casting catch) — are both suggested but not exactly seen.
Otherwise, there’s just back-and-forth in a paneled restaurant, or a tennis court, or Robinson’s fussy home that certainly has the effect of frustrating the viewer as much as Sodowski (identified as “The Narrator”). The scenes go on and on.
Through each of them, the two actors are told to keep their banter at a rat-a-tat pace, perhaps to bring to mind the one time when such exchanges were actually entertaining — the screwball comedies of the 1930s. Anything that’s attempted a similar pace since then have been largely pale imitations, so far from real discourse as to bring a brittle artificiality to the proceedings.
Some might mistake such sheer speed for blazing wit, but even those who tolerate such excess on “The Gilmore Girls” will be unamused. For what’s supposed to be a comedy, there are no laughs — though the constant pizzicato strings in the background remind us that it’s meant to be light.
You do have to admire the casting, however. When the plot gets stuck at one point, the scene changes to the supposed writer (Doug Plaut) discussing it with the “director” — no less than longtime character actor M. Emmet Walsh.
And did I mention that Gina Gershon appears as a woman in a bar who picks up Robinson’s character for a rest room tryst?
The roles for women aren’t so good in “The Mimic.” And while it’s suggested that Sodoski, a widower, secretly pines for Robinson’s wife, we scarcely see her and she doesn’t have a single line (hence, Vanna Pilgrim goes uncredited).
The ultimate reaction to “The Mimic” is like that of the narrator to his nutty neighbor — annoyance, an askance look and quizzical shrug.
“The Mimic” was made available on VOD on Feb. 5.