Drawing Flies (DVD)
Written and Directed by: Matthew Gissing and Malcolm Ingram
Starring: Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Joey Lauren Adams, Renee Humphrey, Carmen Lee

Drawing Flies has been dubbed “the lost View Askew film”, but now that it has been found, I almost think it would have been better off staying lost. I guess that’s not completely fair to say though. Drawing Flies isn’t bad for a low-budget 16mm black and white indie film directed by 2 guys who (as far as I know) have no experience or education in directing a movie. It just so happens that the movie was produced by Kevin Smith, and stars some big name View Askew actors like Jason Lee and Jason Mewes, which has blown it up to appear much larger than it really is.

Essentially, this is a story of 5 slacker friends who have just been cut off from welfare. So what do they decide to do? Avoid the real world by going off on a camping trip. Not much really happens on their trip… for the most part they just stroll around the wilderness talking. However, the guy who suggested the trip, Donner (played by Jason Lee), has an ulterior motive for bringing the gang out into the woods. He is obsessed with finding Bigfoot.

Many View Askew fans will be severely disappointed by this movie, as it definitely not in the same league as Kevin Smith’s own films. It has some humour in it, but the timing is off and it doesn’t have the Kevin Smith’s snappy dialogue behind it. On the other hand, View Askew fans are probably the most likely of anyone to enjoy this movie, as it is a chance to see familiar faces in a different environment. You get to see Jason Mewes in another role other than “Jay” (not that his character in this film is much of a departure), Jason Lee slowly spiral into insanity, and Scott Mosier wearing a giant diaper. The movie also stars Jason Lee’s wife Carmen Lee, and View Askew mainstay Renee Humphrey.

Overall, the video and sound quality are sub-par, and the movie itself is pretty dull. The DVD is packed with special features, but if you are hoping for audio commentary tracks as amusing as some of Kevin Smith’s own movies, again you will be let down. The cast and crew commentary track (featuring Smith himself, among others) is pretty chaotic and poorly recorded… the only amusing part was the endless harassment of an actor who apparently continually developed erections during his love scenes. There is a second commentary track with the directors by themselves, which is more technical in nature, and not as interesting. In addition, there are some deleted scenes and outtakes, which are difficult to sit through — some introductions or commentaries here would have helped a great deal.

The “special introduction” by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier is amusing at first, but kind of drags on. The ironic part is that some of the jabs they take at the film are true. They know as well as we do that the only reason this movie has seen the light of day on DVD is because their name will sell it. In the end, all I can say is that it’s not a horrible movie, but you might want to think twice before buying or renting Drawing Flies. -– Sean