I slipped into a theatre to catch the comedy - "Two Tickets to Paradise" - not expecting much.
But, when the openings scenes flashed up on the screen, I sat up and took notice.
To paraphrase actor Pacino's emotionally-charged character in one of the Godfather sagas:
"They dragged me in"
I suppose it was because of the snappy bang on dialogue between the three main characters in this hilarious independent film by D.B. Sweeney.
And, because the off-the-wall buddy road pic resonated with an undeniable intelligence, wit, and charm.
Bottom line, though, it was probably because of the high standard Sweeney imposed on himself, that resulted in the success of this little charmer.
"Two Tickets" was originally released a year ago under the oddball title of - "Dirt Nap".
And, in spite of the fact the earthy comedy was received well at a handful of reputable Film Festivals, Sweeney was inclined to reel it back in and tool with the independent project a bit.
Actually, at the suggestion of filmgoers at a sneak preview, Mr. Sweeney shot a couple of extra scenes to add some punch.
For example, the doey-eyed actor responded to their call for a lusty gal or two to grace the screen; after all, it was a "guy" picture.
"Where were the dames?" they quizzed.
In a Q & A afterwards, Sweeney - who wore several hats in the production - delighted the audience with background fodder on how a Hooter's scene came about.
"SAG actresses were too costly, so we hired a couple of strippers."
The audience roared!
In addition, he revealed that the ending was changed so that it was more upbeat, in keeping with a plea from the audience at a marketing session, to pair two unlikely characters at the end of the earthy offering.
Sweeney also drew on the assistance of best buds, like hockey great, Wayne Gretzky.
In fact, Gretzky participated hands-on.
Sweeney laughingly recalled that Gretzky actually stood in a parking lot at a stadium, and personally guaranteed t-shirts and sodas to passers-by, who agreed to play extras in the crowd scenes at a Super Bowl event stage for "Tickets".After stepping up - and signing on - volunteers glanced askance at the hockey star and wondered aloud:
"Heh, you're Wayne Gretzky, aren't you?"
Gretzky's wife, Janet Jones, was cast as one of the wives - and his real-life son - as her young boy.Before marrying Wayne, Ms. Jones savored a promising career as an actress, if you recall.
The attractive blond appeared in a handful of quality films such as - Annie, Beastmaster, A Chorus Line, and A League of Their Own.
But, her break-out role was in "Flamingo Kid", opposite Matt Dillon.
For some pick-up footage, Sweeney also called on another long-time pal to rustle up a fake street permit, so he could shoot a bit of celluloid during the Super bowl.
All was well until a couple of cops happened along.
When the director calmly noted he had a permit, the cops turned to each other and chuckled.
"Oh yeah? Let's take a gander at that."
Sweeney confidently displayed the well-crafted phony; sure the men in blue would be fooled. But, the two cops laughed at it under close scrutiny.
"Pretty good."
There was one glaring problem, though.
The city banned all permits that week - unbeknownst to Sweeney - so the two coppers knew it had to be a fake.
At this juncture, one of the officers piped up.
"Weren't you the guy in that film "Fire in the Sky"?
Sweeney was flabbergasted.
They recognized him.
Then, they noted in an off-handed way, they had a couple of rounds to do.
"You'll be gone when we get back, right?"
Wow, a nod of approval, sort of.
Alright!
Sweeney was also fortunate to land a "thumbs up" in respect to a couple of chart-busting hits he chose to incorporate into the soundtrack.
Yup.
Bob Dylan, Dire Straits, and Bruce Springsteen - to name a few - signed releases on the dotted line, which gave a big musical boost to the project.
Unfortunately, the film got "kicked out" of the Toronto Film Festival shortly after it was accepted for screening.
Why?
Turns out, it wasn't a "Virgin" release.
When officials found out "Two Tickets" screened previously at another festival - and failed to meet Festival Rule Requirements - Sweeney was given the jolly heave ho.
Ah, who needs 'em!
Unfortunately, Sweeney later opted to forgo on the costly expense of securing distribution rights.
So, "Two Tickets" won't be screening in your local movie house.
Since the comedy screened, I understand that it may be on DVD release, though.
Try to catch the hilarious "dude" comedy, if you can!