At least the two writers are an agreeable duo. One is played by Maurice LaMarche, normally a voice actor who in fact provided the voice of Brain, the maniacal cartoon mouse who sounded like Orson Welles. The other is Charles M. Howell IV, who is not usually an actor at all — he was a writer on “Pinky,” “Animaniacs” as some other cartoons as well.
In that sense, he knows his way around a writers’ keyboard and the sometimes wrenching process of creating something. Their scenes together, well-shot in black and white by cinematographer Michael Moghaddam are at the heart of the film. But wow, the give and take and dim jokes are right out of the 2D cartoon world.
It starts with the dumb title itself, “Murder, Anyone?” as if tossed out as an invitation by a tennis player (as if any tennis player ever actually says “tennis, anyone?”). So they have a guy in a tennis sweater and shorts, with blood dripping off his racket. They actually begin with one actor, but recast him (in their process) with a younger one (Kristos Andrews). It’s unclear whether his wooden approach is due to the writing or the direction. But he seems to change gears several times.
The only real life among the mystery characters comes from Galadriel Stineman who plays the woman with whom the tennis player banters. She’s got an arch comedic style that enlivens her scenes, even though she knows they’re not going anywhere.
Sometimes the two break the fourth wall and address the audience; other times they don’t. But it may all be due to rewrite — sometimes they speak in British accents too.
When a guy enters wearing a cheap chicken costume, it’s clear there won’t be any great ideas coming our way — though it’s sort of interesting that the unappealing character inside is played by Spencer Breslin, now 30, the former kid actor in a bunch of Tim Allen movies, actual older brother of Abigail Breslin and pretend brother to Dakota Fanning in “The Cat and the Hat.”
Things get really bad when a French psychic enters the picture, who for yucks the writers make blind. In this, she’s more excessive than Mr. Magoo in smashing lamps with her white stick (never mind that milking humor from the sight impaired went out of style decades ago — in fact, good luck finding an old Magoo short anywhere). Carla Collins plays the poor woman who has to flail around as the medium, apparently reprising her role in the staged version.
Sally Kirkland, the onetime actor in Andy Warhol’s Factory, who got an Oscar nomination for her role in 1997’s “Anna,” is seen momentarily in a seance as a murder victim. Blink and you’ll miss her.
“Murder, Anyone?” was actually produced as a local play in L.A. in the elder Bressack’s time. Its arguments about making it a play or movie are compounded by the son’s actually making it a movie. But what was likely not successful on stage certainly doesn’t come together on screen. “This is so stupid,” one of the writers complains at one point. We can’t disagree.
The younger Bressack has done his duty to pay homage to his father by making this; let’s hope he doesn’t feel compelled to make the other six leftover screenplays.
“Murder, Anyone?” Plays the Oh, Scares Film Festival and FilmQuest on Halloween.