FLAKES - DVD review

"Flakes" fits into the subgenre of slacker film. You know the type that feature glib, aimless Generation X'ers whining about their lousy jobs. Movies that are littered with pop culture references and the latest in indie, college rock. Appropriately enough, "Flakes" was directed by Michael Lehmann who made his feature film debut with the cult classic slacker film, "Heathers." Lehmann has since directed some not-so classic films like "Hudson Hawk," "My Giant," and "Because I Said So," one of the worst films of 2007. If "Flakes" is any indication, Lehmann's career won't be headed for an upswing any time soon.

"Flakes" is basically "Empire Records" with cereal instead of music. Aaron Stanford, who played Pyro in the "X-Men" sequels, takes the lead role of Neal Downs, an aspiring musician who works as the manager of Flakes, a trendy eatery in New Orleans which serves nothing but breakfast cereal. We're not just talking about the usual suspects like Lucky Charms, Frosted Flakes, and Cocoa Puffs, but cereal that has long since been discontinued like Freakies and Yummy Mummy. Neal takes pride in pouring a bowl of cereal, it's an artform. His establishment is populated by a bunch of kooky characters such as a cute college student in platform boots named Strawberry (Izabella Miko) and Willie (Christopher Lloyd), the owner who shows up to work in his pajamas. And by work, I mean staring off into space.

Neal's girlfriend is Miss Pussy Katz (Zooey Deschanel) and, yes, that is her real name. Miss Pussy designs artsy clothing that gets no love from tourists only looking for "…all I got was this lousy T-shirt" T-shirts. She quits her job hoping to inspire Neal to take a week off to finish the demo CD he never got around to finishing. Pussy doesn't want her man wasting away his entire life as a cereal peddler.

At the same time, Stuart (Keir O'Donnell), an opportunistic yuppie steals the Flakes concept after Neal turns down his offer of franchising the joint. Stuart not only opens his own place across the street from Flakes, he doesn't even bother to change the name, calling his location, New Original Flakes. When Neal flat out refuses to listen to her, Pussy comes to the conclusion that the only way he'll ever leave Flakes is if Flakes is gone. She takes a job at Stuart's ripoff restaurant in order to put Flakes out of business. This leads to all kinds of wackiness at the jobsite and at home as the couple share an apartment.

All the characters populating "Flakes" feel very familiar. If you've seen "Reality Bites," "Empire Records," and the like then you'll understand what I'm talking about. Everybody is anti-establishment, quick with the quips, and try to lead bohemian lifestyles. Some are charming and might very well be people you know, but most come off as lazy and whiny. Worst of all, they act a lot cooler than they really are. That's how I felt about the pseudo-hipster characters of "Flakes." The performances are fine, but none of the cast is given any meaty material to truly stretch their acting muscles. Christopher Lloyd essentially plays the same eccentric character that he originated on "Taxi." I'm a big fan of Zooey Deschanel and I admit to having a bit of a crush on her. Her Miss Pussy Katz is the same character she's played in "Elf" and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." She's the love interest armed with a sardonic wit and while I've fallen in love with her through those types of roles, it would be more interesting to see her play against type.

Part of the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the film's writers, Chris Poche and Karey Kirkpatrick, who both worked on "Over the Hedge." Kirkpatrick has also worked on other family-friendly fare such as "Chicken Run," "The Spiderwick Chronicles," as well as the aforementioned "Hitchhiker's Guide." They attempt to capture the voice of a generation about fifteen years too late. The youngsters of "Flakes" might as well be wearing flannel as they try to score tickets to Soundgarden. They try too hard to be witty thus the dialogue comes off as overwritten and unnatural.

The film was shot on location in New Orleans, but barely mentions the post-Katrina environment. The only mention comes from a scene where New Original Flakes gives out cereal to the homeless and dispossessed. The filmmakers used actual homeless folks as extras for the scene. That's really about it. I'm not saying the writers should have beaten us over the head with a message, but it feels frivolous to not deal with the issues above a passing reference.

VIDEO:
The video is presented in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The transfer is clean without any noticeable blemishes. The overall picture is a bit flat.

AUDIO:
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. The film is mainly reliant on dialogue and it comes in crisp and clear.

EXTRAS:
You won't find much here. The DVD only includes a pair of deleted scenes and the film's theatrical trailer.

FILM VALUE:
For those of you wondering, cereal bars like those depicted in "Flakes" are a real thing. I'm sure many of you are snickering at the thought of grown men arguing over the minutiae of breakfast cereal history. However, as a film geek and collector of comic books and action figures, I'm not about to pass judgment. I will pass judgment on "Flakes." In fact, I'm going to go for the easy metaphor and say "Flakes" is about as tasty as a bowl of soggy corn flakes. "Flakes" is simply unoriginal. It lacks the wit of similar, but far better movies like "Clerks" and "High Fidelity."