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What do you get when three Hollywood-Wannabe friends (Jon Rudnitsky, Karan Soni and Cazzie David) team up with their kooky therapist (Jason Alexander) to plot a heist to steal Quentin Tarantino’s personal 35mm print of “Pulp Fiction” from his movie theater.
What else: “Stealing Pulp Fiction,” which screens on October 19 at the Lido Theater as one of the Spotlight films in the Newport Beach Film Festival. The film gets an encore screening October 24 at the Triangle 2 Theater in Costa Mesa.
This enjoyable heist comedy is a homage of sorts to the classic movie “Pulp Fiction,” which in turn was a homage to other films and genres including arthouse cinema. In fact, such a movie theater is one of the settings for “Stealing Pulp Fiction.”
The film starts in what appears to be a pseudo-swanky restaurant booth where the two main characters played by Jon Rudnitsky and Karan Soni are having a conversation about the possible next big business trend. This scene helps set the tone of the film—fun yet moody in a quirky sort of way. Turns out the duo is imbibing cocktails before taking in a midnight screening of Tarantino’s personal print of “Pulp Fiction” in an arthouse owned by Tarantino.
After the screening, the self-professed Quentin fans wolf down burgers at a diner while discussing an idea that could be a plan, although one of the character’s notes “if the idea is good, you don’t need a plan.”
The idea/plan they concoct is to steal Tarantino’s 35mm print of “Pulp Fiction.”
“Why” asks Cazzie David’s character when the duo recruit her to help them. Their therapist (Jason Alexander) also joins the team.
There are subplots that help with character motivations, and zesty dialogue crisp and believable thanks to the realistic character portrayals. The pacing is energetic but not frantic, with a few throwaway lines that zip by almost before you realize they are funny.
Some scenes seemingly stretch credibility, but it’s all part of the movie’s tone. The silliness never gets out of hand and even incredulous moments seem plausible.
“Stealing Pulp Fiction” is a fast-paced comedic joyride and a satisfying cinematic treat.
For tickets and a complete film lineup, visit NewportBeachFilmFest.com.
