A little bit "Rocky," a little bit "Clerks," "The Mini" is all Indianapolis.
You're not going to get much in the way of originality here, as "The Mini" is a pretty typical underdog sports story. Francis Molon (pronounced like "moron" with an l) (Larry Dahlke) is a futon salesman at a furniture store whose boss Stan (Darrell Francis) won't let him move into mattresses, which is the where the money is, or so says Stan's star salesman Rick (Chris Stack).
When an assistant manager's job opens up, Fran hopes to cash in, but Stan tells him not to bother, since Rick has already applied.
But the plot thickens: Fran's dad was a legendary runner, and Rick was state champion in high school. Rick challenges Fran to race "The Mini" (which is totally, completely and fully not affiliated with Indianapolis' Mini Marathon) against him. The winner gets an unemcumbered shot at the job.
So Rick sets out to get in shape for the half marathon while dealing with his doofy best friend (Jeff Stockberger), and wooing the fair Carmen (Angie Craft) who is looking for tickets to the same concert Fran is.
This is an independent film, shot in Indianapolis on a budget of about $15,000, so don't expect professional production values from writer/director Ron Beck.
What you do have, though, is a fun little movie with a goofy rated-PG sense of humor that's tame enough. I actually laughed a couple of times and was never bored with the film.
You're not looking at Oscar-caliber acting here, but the leads give the film that underground spark that says these people had a good time making this movie. The good guys are all likable, and the bad guys are all slimy douchebags that you want to see fail.
Some of the funnier bits include Stockberger's Dale character, who is a security guard afraid of driving any vehicle with an engine (because of a traumatic bumper car accident as a child) arguing jurisdiction with a hired store security guard who rides a motorized scooter, and an amusing "Karate Kid" spoof.
Craft is an appealing love interest, and is pretty but still retains a girl-next-door vibe that keeps her just enough out of Fran's league that it doesn't strain credulity too much.
If you're looking for something different and live in Indianapolis, you should check out "The Mini." There are plenty of local landmarks to be had, and Speedway, Eastgate Mall, the Mug 'n Bun, and several other local landmarks are readily visible throughout (the film's climatic race was filmed at Eastgate, which is funny enough for those who know the area).
DVD extras include a gag reel, deleted scenes and a director's commentary, as well as some legitimately funny trailers for what I presume are real films.
The film is getting a full DVD release and is widely available now at Blockbuster Video stores, and can be purchased at Amazon.com and a variety of other outlets.
Film: 3.5 Yaps (out of 5) Extras: 4 Yaps (out of 5)