With such star power names as Crystal, Caan, and Lundgren, "Small Apartments" manages to stay humble despite it's brimming all-star cast.
The lead character Franklin Franklin, played by British superstar Matt Lucas, is an orphaned recluse with social anxiety and a wicked soda addiction. His jarring physical appearance is due in part to a "bowling-related accident" in which he lost the ability to grow hair anywhere on his body. Choosing to wear little more than a pair of white underwear and a series of wigs, Franklin's unique sense of style seems to attract trouble his way. After accidentally killing his landlord during a rental dispute, Franklin's only connection to the real world is through a series of tapes that his mentally unstable brother sends him in the mail equipped with toenail clippings.
Amidst daydreams of Switzerland whilst playing his alphorn (consult a "Ricola" commercial for any further questions), and spying on the girl across the street through a pair of binoculars, Franklin spends a majority of his day locked in his apartment seemingly content with his meager lifestyle. James Caan and Johnny Knoxville play Mr. Allspice and Tommy Balls, Franklin's neighbors who are fed-up his incessant alphorn playing and overall introverted behavior. Despite being tormented by their oddball neighbor, both characters have their own set of unique debilitating social issues similarly to Franklin. Both are oblivious to the dead landlord in Franklin's apartment but mainly cause both residents are confined to their own respective worlds.
In enters Billy Crystal who plays the role of Detective Walnut who is assigned to the murder case of Franklin's landlord. Despite all evidence leaning towards Franklin's involvement, he is never actually accused of the crime. Crystal's character along with his small gang of cronies manage to single-handedly stunt the comedic growth of the film. Just when things seem to be coming to a comedic peak, there seems to be a cop-related scene that derails any and all momentum. The only source of laughs came from a merkin gag (consult "Urban Dictionary" for any further questions) which was sadly underutilized. Fortunately, the rest of the movie is quite the treat.
As most black comedies go, there is an aura of death that is revisited multiple times throughout the plot. If you lean towards a more morbid sense of humor, "Small Apartments" is definitely right up your alley. Yet, regardless of the film's morbid disposition, there exists a sort of underdog story that blossoms into a surprising feel-good story. It's hard to describe amidst the heavy emphasis on death. Yet, Franklin is the epitome of a born-to-lose type of character, and so it's fulfilling to see him come out a winner by the end of the movie.
The DVD release is fairly bare bones when it comes to special features. There are two featurettes, both of varying use depending on your choice of lifestyle. The first of which is "How to Build a Gravity Bong" featuring Johnny Knoxville --- pretty self explanatory. The second featurette is a short behind-the-scenes look at the movie --- nothing really significant to note here.
Film: 3.5 Yaps Extras: 1.5 Yaps
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baKwCGA6cqU]