Martin and Orloff

A scattered comedy if there ever was one, Martin and Orloff is a light, satirical film that seems to be gunning for the same audience as the recent glut of silly movies starring Ben Stiller and company. Co-written by Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh, two members of NYC-based comedy troupe the Upright Citizens Brigade, the film starts off slowly, with Martin Flam, a lowly advertising exec, played with a little too much subtlety by Roberts, returning to work after a failed suicide attempt. His introduction to incompetent psychiatrist Dr. Orloff (Walsh) is where the story begins to pick up the pace, piling on the absurd humour as the pair play a game of softball, drive recklessly through Manhattan and end up a peeler bar where a stripper in a space suit dances to the theme from 2001. Offering much to the proceedings is the notable supporting cast, which includes David Cross as a flamboyant playwright and Tina Fey as an actress in his sub-par dinner theatre play. Kim Raver shows her comedic chops as Orloff's stripper girlfriend, and SNL's Amy Poehler masters the film's subtle comedic tones with absolutely hilarious results. Sadly, the film seems to lose itself in its grand finale, failing to deliver on the momentum developed in the middle section. The extras contained on the disc are shockingly unfunny, especially the audio commentary from Roberts, Walsh and Blume, which fails to deliver much in the way of insight or humour. The blooper reel from the scene featuring Fey, Janeane Garofalo and Rachel Dratch is simply boring to watch, which is a surprise given the names involved. Cross's deleted scenes are funny but don't offer much more than his scenes in the final cut of the film. Plus: alternate ending, astronaut striptease, makeup tests, trailer, board game. (Anchor Bay)