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Resolved to be a somebody, a shipping clerk named Turtletaub starts his own business knowing only that he intends either to create a product or to provide a service, and whichever one it is, he pledges, "it will be good...for everyone." Turtletaub is a practical sort of dreamer who budgets his meager means so as to rent a thirty-seven square foot office space in which to start his business. He feels that his freedom, as well as that of his wife, depends upon his being able to succeed in this endeavor. And before he knows it, Turtletaub has happened upon hiring an awkward, kind day laborer as his assistant and a confident yet conflicted salesman as his sales force. Now all that Turtletaub needs is to figure out what it is that his business will do. But there is constant noise streaming in through the vent in the ceiling of Turtletaub's office, and the landlord keeps giving Turtletaub the runaround. And his salesman has somehow started bringing in investment money, even though they do not know what it is that their business does, and Turtletaub is not sure what it is, exactly, that he owes these investors. As the pressure builds and things start to move, Turtletaub seems farther and farther away from having his idea become a reality. Until one night it hits...and it's great...
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"Four stars (Highest Rating). A wry, absurdist gem."
- Todd David Schwartz, CBS
"...endearingly quirky...the film contains wry comic touches...and the resonant notion that perhaps our worldly needs have been met a little too completely."
- Charles Wilson, LA Weekly
"...bone-dry comedy...fans of the Ionesco tradition will spark to the pic's rendering of an American dream who puts the cart before the horse."
"Hip fests would do well to take a look..."
"...Stern's ensemble keeps a firm grip on the absurd happenings."
- Robert Koehler, Variety
"Tom Stern's philosophical comedy...is original and strong..."
- Kristyn Pomranz, The Riverfront Times
"...this film is brilliant...an American Pinter Play that is riveting in its simplistic style and formalized dialogue...the entire cast stands out, but most especially Rick Schiaffo..."
-Robert Mellette, programmer, Dances With Films Festival
Director's Statement:
This Is A Business is not about movie stars, special effects, or fantasy fulfillment. It's a small story. A humble one. And that is all that This Is A Business is. I know because I spent a lot of time thinking about it as I made it.
You see, I wanted to tell a story. An honest story. But I don't know what it's like to be a superhero. And I've never tracked down nor have I ever been a serial killer. I also have not blown up any airplanes, spaceships, or buildings. Abashedly I admit, I have never even saved the world from the brink of destruction. So I had a hard time finding those truths in this story. Instead, I found something a touch off-center and simultaneously comedic and emotional.
This Is A Business is about a small man who lives in a small corner of a very big world. A man who wants to make something meaningful, but does not know exactly how to do so just yet. This Is A Business is about the significance of the impulse to create something. How this impulse to create might even be more important than what one creates. It's a comedy, too. Although it might make you feel something a bit more complicated towards the end.
So what business do I have making a movie out of a small, honest story? Is this not purely antithetical to everything that filmmaking is about? I would argue no. I would argue that movies can and sometimes even should bear the fingerprints of their makers. Sometimes such movies help us to think about ourselves and our world. I even flatter myself to think that This Is A Business might reach a viewer like you in just such a fashion.
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