Starving Artists Movie Review

Allan Piper certainly had his work cut out for him when he decided to write, direct, edit, and produce Starving Artists PLUS play a klutz named Zach. For some reason, Joy (Bess Wohl) is wildly attracted to Zach. She'd have to be, because in his pursuit of her, he accidentally breaks her nose, burns her, insults her, sets the dinner table on fire, nukes their romantic chicken dinner…we're just scratching the surface here, actually, but you get the idea. Meanwhile Jay (Joe Smith) and Doris (Sandi Carroll) are making a movie next door and everything they do wrong is lionized by the Boston cognoscenti, as well as their backers. (I think the backers call themselves Frozen Yoga and their financing is dependent on blatant product placement in the final print.) Zach's delusional roommate Bob (John De Vore) is convinced their neighbors are murderers. Zach tells him to take out the trash and mind his own business, which doesn't help Bob become any less delusional. Starving Artists doesn't try to look expensive or sound politically correct, but does incorporate all the universal fears that every artist shares. There are some solid yucks here, and a mostly attractive, appealing cast. Starving Artists played at San Francisco's Indie Fest in January 1999.

1997 85m/C Sandi Carroll, Joe Smith, Bess Wohl, Allan Piper, John De Vore, Geoff Gladstone; D: Allan Piper; W: Allan Piper; C: Robert Ball; M: Claire Harding.