The Selling - Movie Review
What do you get when when you take a dedicated group of character actors and a witty script involving a haunted open house?
A riotous good time, that’s what.
Let’s discuss.
The Selling is a Horror Comedy brought to us by actor/writer Gabriel Diani and director Emily Lou Wilbur. Don’t feel bad if you don’t recognize the names, I didn’t either. I was attracted to this film due to the heavy use of Barry “Megaforce” Bostwick in the trailers. Little did I know that I was going to see a hilarious homage to Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross’s 5 stages of grief.
The film revolves around Richard Scarry (Diani) and his ailing real estate business. Richard’s greatest strength is his kind heart, but as any salesman will tell you. Nice guys don’t make any money and Richard is struggling. His mother needs another round of chemotherapy and even though he recently sold a house, the money never seems to last. So, when his professional rival, Mary Best (Janet Varney), offers Richard the rights to a high dollar listing, he has a hard time saying no. Even though Mary is as unethical as they come, Richard takes the offer. He hopes to make a quick buck, but unfortunately the house has different ideas. Will Richard sell the house in time to pay for his mother’s treatment, or will he succumb to the malevolent forces within?
It’s a simple premise. As any cook will tell you though, simple doesn’t mean easy. When you create something simple, every single detail needs to be exceptional. Is this a perfect movie?
Absolutely not.
Is it an entertaining movie throughout?
Absolutely.
Let me put on my lifeguard speedo, because we’re taking a dive into…
…SPOILERS!
Expectations play a huge role in entertainment. A good movie can easily be ruined when the viewer expects greatness. I went into the film with 0 and came out rich with enjoyment. It’s a low budget film and it does have a few rough edges, but overall it’s a blast. It has this Dead Alive meets Wes Anderson feel that is equal parts charming as it is off-putting.
My favorite part of the film is when Richard is showing prospective buyers the home while the ghosts run rampant. It’s a great homage to many of the classic haunted house films. Let’s run through the ones I remember:
The walls bleed Ala The Haunting.
The master bedroom closet is a portal to the beyond and the furniture gets piled up similar to Poltergeist.
The kitchen is infested with bees / flies just like Amityville Horror.
Richard and his mother watch House on Haunted Hill on the television.
Father Jimmy feigns a heart attack as he enters the house. Simulating Max von Sydow’s death throws in the Exorcist.
It’s a well done segment where Richard uses actual real estate sales techniques to try and play off the obvious haunting. It also helps that Richard is so likable. In a lesser performers hands, the character could have come off as vapid. In the hands of Diani, he’s the lovable underdog.
Teamed with his partner Dave, played by Jonathan Klein, Richard is the Abbott to Dave’s Costello. The bumble and scheme through most of the movie with the classic comedic timing of those classic buddy horror comedy films. The two of them have great chemistry, as does everyone in the film.
I can’t go further without mentioning the villainess, Mary Best, played by Janet Varney. I’m a huge Stan Against Evil fan, which means I have an honest and pure love of Janet Varney. She’s just the best. Then I saw her outside of Stan Against Evil in real life interviews and it only solidified that love. She’s such a genuine person behind the scenes which is all the more impressive because she is fantastic as a conniving villain. Mary Best is the realtor we all know and hate. She’s dishonest. She lies, cheats, and steals. Her smile doesn't falter whether she’s shaking your hand or stabbing you in the back. Brilliant performance by a brilliant actress. Also, those eyes!
Am I right?
Barry Bostwick is an American hero. Not just because he was the commander of Megaforce, or because he is the most convincing rider of a flying motorcycle in cinema history, or because he was the Mayor of a major metropolitan city, or because he’s in the greatest horror musical of all time.
Wait, yes, that’s actually why.
He’s fantastic in this. As the creepy and overbearing Father Jimmy, he delivers his lines with the usual gusto. I laughed out loud a few times due to little things he added nonverbally to scenes. The man just has perfect comedic timing. I really want to find a copy of Spin City on dvd to binge.
Diani’s actual life partner Etta Devine (Great Name) plays the love interest of the film, Ginger Sparks. She’s basically the personality of my wife. So, I loved her performance. It’s pretty obvious these two performers had previous experience. The pace and rhythm of their dialogue was at an You Can’t Take it With You speed. It’s snappy and their actions organic. The love interest isn’t forced either. It feels like how relationships normally evolve. It starts with annoyance and then through perseverance it grows into something… else.
The most important performance of the film is given by Nancy Lenehan. If you don’t know that name, you should. Nancy is a prolific television actress whose career has spanned five decades. She’s appeared in things like Veep, The New Adventures of Old Christine, My Name is Earl, and How I Met Your Mother. She’s another one of these character actors that always knocks it out of the park.
Surprise!
She does the same thing here. She’s the film’s emotional center as Richard’s cancer stricken mother. She’s the sweet mom who’s brutally honest, but unconditionally loving. She will do anything for her son up to and including stealing an ambulance. I love the portions where she describes her adventures with the family television. It’s such a simple, endearing bit of dialogue that becomes a refrain in the narrative. The film doesn’t work without us as the viewer loving Richard’s mother as much as everyone in the film does. She’s the driving force and Nancy Lenehan delivers.
The special effects are fantastic for a low budget film. Don’t go in expecting expecting Tomorrow War level visuals though. This is guerrilla sfx. I don’t want to ruin any of the surprises in the film, so i’ll just say that the practical and digital effects are done in such an understated way that they come off more real than some bigger budget film’s CGI.
I can’t recommend this film enough.
Watch this film if you like Abbott and Costello, or Scary Movie.
Or if you just like having a good time.
Or whatever excuse it takes to get you to watch this movie.
The Selling is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
