Love Comes to the Executioner
The DVD was recently released for Love Comes to the Executioner, a very black comedy and independent film. The movie was directed and written by Kyle Bergersen who did a great job with the script. I am a fan of dark comedies with inappropriate laughs and this film really hit the nail on the head with this genre.
The movie is about a recent college graduate Heck, played by Jonathan Tucker, who dreams to go on and be a Latin teacher now that his education is completed. However, his family history entraps him and keeps him in his small town where his father and brother are serial killers. Through a bizarre chain of events, Heck finds himself getting job at the local prison with the unlikely (but fairly well paid!) job of being the executioner.
However, as a side perk Heck is permitted to teach Latin to the inmates. I like the underplay that Latin, being a "dead language," is appropriate to teach to people on death row.
Though Love Comes to the Executioner isn't exactly a riot, there are indeed lots of good jokes in the movie and to his credit, Jonathan Tucker offers up a funny and believable performance in a fairly unbelievable set of circumstance. The film also stars Jeremy Renner (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) as Heck's murderous brother Chick, and Ginnifer Goodwin (Margene on HBO's Big Love) as Heck's love interest (who of course, is also a murderer).
This film definitely is for those with a taste for dark comedy and not afraid of a film that approaches the death penalty head-on but yet in a lighthearted manner. Another good thing about Love Comes to the Executioner is much of the comedy is funny but also somewhat subtle. Yes, some of the comedy hits you over the head, but other parts are indeed quite subtle and take a bit of mental ability to appreciate. This is a nice change of pace after all the slapstick in-your-face comedies seen so frequently these days like Jackass, Superbad, or Blades of Glory. If you find yourself laughing and someone actually isn't doing something wacky and outlandish on film like hitting someone else in the face with a golf club or other blunt object, you have to take a moment to appreciate the actual craft of writing comedy.
Director Kyle Bergersen has created a highly original concept and very creative film on a low budget. This is something to appreciate. Hopefully, this is a writer/director that will continue to bring something new to film in the future. For those that seek out funny and slightly subversive original concepts, Love Comes to the Executioner is not to be missed.
Grading
Visuals: B
Story: A-
Acting: A
Originality/Innovation: B+
Enjoyability: B+
Overall: A-
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