DVD Review: Goliath

The first feature from Austin's filmmaking team of David and Nathan Zellner, Goliath, hit the DVD shelves (and Netflix) on Tuesday. David Zellner wrote and directed the locally shot comedy, and plays the main character; Nathan produced and edited the film, and has a small but quite memorable role. I interviewed the Zellners before their film played SXSW 2008.

The movie is about a nameless everyschlub (David Zellner) who is dealing with a divorce and some nastiness at work, and at the same time can't find his beloved cat Goliath. Every move he makes is strange and unworkable: shouting a message onto his ex-wife's voicemail, firing a coworker (Wiley Wiggins) at exactly the wrong time, trying to use a balloon to sail a Missing Cat poster through the air. A quick look at his Web browser history seems to tell it all.

Goliath is not a plot-heavy movie. Here's this poor guy who just wants one thing in life and because it's withheld, it makes him crazy. He's not quite sympathetic -- at times I would almost want to give the guy a hug except for that horrible mustache. And then he says or does something really horrible or unforgivable, like the conversation he has with his wife after they sign the divorce papers.

Normally I don't like movies about unsympathetic, pitiable characters, but the humor in Goliath was strong enough to overcome that. It's bizarre and funny but not quite mean spirited. I love the scene where David Zellner's character is in bed and pulls out a cigarette and a condom and you wonder exactly what he's about to do -- what happens is not what you'd expect. Scenes often go on a little longer than you'd expect, too, driving right through the uncomfortable and into the comic, like the long scene with the divorce-paper signing.

But the best moment is David Zellner's character confronting Nathan Zellner's: one guy labeled as a monster, the other guy actually behaving like one. It reminded me of the Humbert/Quilty confrontation in Lolita, only even sillier and more pathetic. It leads right into a very different ending, not the one I might have predicted.

Goliath has a wicked, sneaky sense of humor that keeps things slightly off balance. You may not want to watch this with your cat, or with anyone who sneers about "mumblecore," but if you have the right sense of humor it's a very entertaining film.

Extras: Goliath's extra features are mostly unremarkable:

• A commentary track consisting of a conversation between the Zellners and Charles Bryant, who has a small role in the film, and who is pretty talkative. They're entertaining, but don't always actually talk about the movie. 
• A longer version of the basketball scene in the movie, which is mildly funny.
• "Eclectic Boogaloo" -- Carlos Aguirre, who plays one of the goofy coworkers that has a dance scene of sorts, explains and demonstrates his breakdancing moves. It starts out lame but after a minute or so, when you realize the guy holding the mike for Carlos isn't wearing a shirt, it starts to get pretty funny.
• Filmmaker Q&A at Cinevegas 2008 -- Standard post-screening Q&A with David and Nathan Zellner, with the usual film-fest audience questions.
• The trailer, which is funnier if you've seen the movie and know where the background drum rhythms are from. I do love the way those drum rhythms are used at the end of the film.

Austin connections: The film was shot in northeast Austin. But if you didn't live in Austin, you would have no idea where this film was set, it could be anywhere. There are a few clues -- a Fran's Hamburgers in the background, a glimpse of a boot-shaped sign downtown -- but mostly this movie is set in offices and residential areas.

Austin Film Society fans may enjoy seeing AFS Programming Director Chale Nafus in a small role as a detective. The main character's supervisors are played by filmmakers Andrew Bujalski and Bob Sabiston; his coworkers include filmmaker John Bryant and his brother Charles, and actor Wiley Wiggins.

You can buy the Goliath DVD on Amazon, or catch it on the Sundance Channel this month. Try it and see whether it appeals to your sense of humor.