There are these days one just should't get out of bed. Today is such
a day for Phin (Geno Rathbone), who comes to work only to find out he has
to spend the entire day in a gorilla costume - and when he wants to drive
home, the zip of the outfit just won't open. The worst time for this,
because exactly then, Steven (Mike Pusateri), his friend with mob
connections, calls because he wants him to do a delivery - and Phin just
can't refuse because he has to come up with enough money to pay the ransom
for his neighbour (Jerry Clemons III) ... because he's the only one who
knows where his car is. What Steven didn't tell him of course was that the
"delivery" also included him getting a tattoo. Phin's
delivery-companion, the mysterious Mr E (Rocky Russell), freaks him out
quite a bit, and then their car breaks down, and they hitchhike a ride
with a couple of crazy pickpockets (Neil Kubath, Emmi Chen), get handcuffed, almost arrested - and
all of a sudden Phin finds himself in limbo (really) ... but at least
there he meets lovely Grace (Erin Breen). Out of limbo, Phin gets shot
at, meets Grace again, who can't remember him anymore but at least cuts
through his handcuffs, and then he learns he has actually been in limbo
for 6 days, and the house where his neighbour was held has actually turned
into a murder scene. And the day isn't even over yet. So yeah, there are
these days one just shouldn't get out of bed ... Normal
is one of these films that just goes completely over-the-top in terms of
insanity - but works just because of that. Basically, the film is a wild
mix of crime movie, science fiction and road movie elements, fuelled with
a healthy dose of irony, that's held together by clever storytelling,
great pacing and almost perfect comedic timing. Add to this a very
competent cast and a suitably subtle directorial effort that gets the most
out of the film's obviously low budget, and you got yourself a highly
entertaining movie. Recommended!
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