Rock, Paper, Scissors: The Way of the Tosser

There is little appealing about the prospect of watching yet another deliberately quirky indie film from an up-and-coming comedy duo, targeting the obvious dorkiness of a Rock, Paper, Scissors competition. But thankfully, The Way of the Tosser proves less obnoxious than the cover suggests, having a handful of clever moments and a mostly amiable mockumentary template. Think Christopher Guest with no budget, fewer characters, an over-reliance on kooky wardrobe and the occasional cupped fart. It's never particularly funny but almost gets there for the majority of the running time. Plot-wise, the film follows Greg Brewer (Tim Doiron) and Holly Brewer (April Mullen), no relation (yet) as Greg trains for the big Rock, Paper, Scissors championship, doing various hand exercises and elaborate exercises involving the titular items. Interviews with historians and tournament wranglers divide the film with deadpan aplomb, suggesting the ridiculous with nary a nod or wink. Of course, everything leads up to the big tournament and a roundabout love story but this is all incidental, as this is a movie about maintaining a tone, which it does successfully. While not a sure-fire winner, Tosser does reveal talent on the rise, with both Mullen and Doiron handling their imbecilic characters with a perfect blend of heart and irony. For those unconvinced that simply maintaining a straight face throughout is hard work, the many outtakes and bloopers included in the final credits and in the DVD supplements suggest otherwise, as the cast frequently break into hysterics when trying to maintain character while others make peculiar noises and facial expressions. The DVD also includes a "Making Of" and "University Cult Tour" featurette, where we learn how the film came to be and how a low budget production gets off its feet, in addition to a "tosser" tutorial and amusing rap music video. Deleted scenes, on-screen playing cards and a commentary track round out the special features, giving viewers much to surf through after the film is over.