It's painfully obvious that this is an indie movie. Not in a Juno/Garden State "I'm going to quirk you to death" kinda of way, but in that the story is not polished at all, there are a lot of loose ends that could have benefited from an extra scene or two, feels made for TV and is just plain blah. The idea was pretty neat, but there was absolutely no setup, and the only exposition to him wanting to get a dummy was him watching the movie at the very beginning.All that said, it had plenty of cute and enjoyable moments. The whole romantic aspect was good, and I liked Mila Jovavich's character, who was perfectly annoying. And I found Adrien Brody's character, and by extension the dummy, pretty interesting.

Adrien Brody and Milla Jovovich star in this film about a group of people that are, for lack of a better term, a bunch of losers. Adrian Brody is an awkward person who chooses the ultimate career of the loser. One of a ventriloquist—complete with frightful dummy and a personality which can generally only be seen only when he speaks through said dummy. Milla Jovovich is a singer in a punk band that excels at maintaining constant failure. Each of our "heroes" still live with their respective parents—and their 10-year High School Reunion is around the bend (not part of the story except to give us the idea that, holy hell, these people are way too old to still be living at home!). Adrien's sister is a failed wedding planner who's latest wedding is for a Jewish family, a culture which she largely knows nothing about. Adrien Brody becomes attracted to the woman at the employment agency trying to help him find work, er, as a ventriloquist. He initially scares the hell out of her, but he of course, gradually convinces her of his worth, but only by speaking through his dummy, which for a large portion of the film, is the only way he can accurately or easily convey his thoughts to others. The film follows three distinct stories, Adrien Brody's, Milla Jovovich's, and Illeana Douglas' characters (Brody's sister)—all of which come together rather nicely.Here's the breakdown:The Good:--The acting is great and the characters are fascinating—each with their own level of depth, quirks, and loads of problems.--The movie looks and feels like an independent film, which I personally liked.--Great drama, great humor--but it's a quirky and weird humor.--A lot of character development and growth.Didn't Hurt It, Didn't Help:--Pretty much all the characters are losers or failures of some sort, so they're not easily likable. But the very human quality of the characters allows them to really grow on you.--Adrien Brody's dummy is smarter and a smoother talker than he is, but then again, that's a character trait…The Bad:--I suppose, if you hate watching people speak through dummies, you'll have a real problem with this. Otherwise, there is little wrong with this picture.--It's got kind of a "weird" vibe about it throughout, it's not painfully strong, but it hovers around there--the weirdness--which may be off-putting for some people.The Ugly:--Adrien Brody's father assembles model warships… while watching porn.Memorable Scene:--Adrien Brody's thank you "letter" to his employment case-worker--classy.Acting: 8/10 Story: 8/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Character Development: 10/10 Special Effects/Make-up: 0/10 (there was none) Nudity/Sexuality: 2/10 Violence/Gore: 1/10 (really wasn't any) Music: 8/10 Direction: 8/10Cheesiness: 3/10 Crappiness: 0/10Overall: 8/10A nice "dramedy" that makes you feel good when it ends. Good for anyone except people that hate that kind of stuff… Or those who fear ventriloquist dummies—you know who you are, you weirdoes. ( www.ResidentHazard.com ) ( http://bartboard.proboards3.com/index.cgi )

Writer/Director Greg Pritkin's formula for a brilliant comedy is so simple you wonder why it is not being widely copied. You write a quality screenplay, assemble an ensemble of very strong actors, turn this cast loose to slightly overplay each of your quirky characters, and find a quality editor to creatively assemble the film.Of course writing or finding a screenplay this good is not easy, nor is assembling a dream cast like this one. Getting Adrien Brody, Milla Jovovich, Illeana Douglas, Vera Farmiga, and Jared Harris to play your five main characters is almost unparalleled. All are extremely strong actors who were attracted to this quirky project because Pritkin was willing to turn them loose to play off each other. Because each character in "Dummy" is at least slightly off-kilter these over-the-top performances achieve a wonderful balance.The cast has a Ukrainian favor, with Jovovich playing a hilarious role totally unlike anything you have seen from her (there are some similarities to her "Zoolander" character) and Farmiga who is fantastic as always. The "R" rating is solely due to Milla's language much of which is simply the funniest swearing in film history. Vera is absolutely fantastic as the guest at the family dinner table-less extreme yet funnier than the family dinner scene in the "The Nutty Professor". Jovovich's line about doing the "hora" refers to a dance frequently done at Jewish weddings. If you want to do it at your own wedding here are some instructions: 1. Stand in a circle holding the hands of the people on either side of you. 2. When the music starts, follow the circle as it rotates. 3. Step to the side, passing your left foot behind your right. 4. Move the right foot beside the left foot. 5. Step to the side again, passing your left foot in front of your right this time. 6. Continue as the circle keeps spinning, adding a little hop to your steps as you go faster. 7. Move toward the center of the circle and throw your hands, still holding those of the people beside you, in the air. 8. Lower your hands and move backward. 9. Repeat several times. 10. Resume spinning around the circle.

This story has been done so many times on film (Neil Simon, Woody Allen, etc.) - typical dysfunctional Jewish/Irish/Italian family. Sure, the acting in some parts is over-the-top (I like the part when Michael says, "My drinking is WAY down," when that's not the case). Fangora and Steven form one of the weirdest relationship, and when Fanny talks to Steven about girls and dating, the results are a train wreck (when she gives Steven a Sousa CD, she says "Chicks love classical music." - but NOT marching band music). I can name a short list of actresses that have the chops to play Fangora with all her internal complications. Christini Ricci, Sarah Polly, Virginie Ledoyen, Jaime (aka James) King, Winona Ryder, Clea Duvall, Sarah Silverman, etc. Usually Milla Jovovich's acting in small films is understated (The Claim, Million Dollar Hotel, No Good Deed, etc.) unlike her acting in blockbusters.I never liked Adrian Brody, but his performance as a painfully shy geek was well worth it. What regular man has not been in that situation as a teenager or a young adult? The surrounding cast was pretty good. I like the actress who played Lorena - her acting was seamless. When she spits out the wine in her glass that Steven's mom pours her without saying a word.Dummy broke no new ground to me as a film - in some parts it was a screwball comedy, a coming-of-age slice-of-life, and family dynamics that went awry.