MOVERS ULTIMATE: A Nostalgic Schlep

Back in the day, I was a diehard fan of 90s and early 2000s comedy. I still am, to some degree, but there are some that just do not hold up for one reason or another, which could fill a whole other article. However, even when viewed today despite some of the dated and off-color material, films like Waiting… and Sex Drive still have their moments of humor and heart. Movers Ultimate is a proud testament to these types of films, touting on its website that it’s “a 90’s style comedy film” that’s made “for anyone who’s ever done manual labor… had to move… or anyone who’s hated their job and just wanted to party”. Without even reading that before viewing, this film is one-hundred percent in that realm and does it well.

A Fully Loaded Cast of Characters

The film centers around Chad (Andy J. Carlson) and Ryan (Shawn Knox), twenty-eight-year-old best friends who work for a moving company after leaving their previous career paths. Now, on the day of their ten-year high school reunion, thanks to their boss (Steven Strafford) they’re tasked with moving a six-thousand square foot home with a massively underreported cargo estimate. (“Who the f*ck has one bed in a house that big?” “Psychopaths.”) Accompanied by the new guy Kip (Grant Kennedy Lewis), a rising freshman with a full ride to play football at OSU but seemingly lacking the build to do so, as well as colleagues Lance (Jeremy Farley) and Spooner (Grant Brooks), whose names are almost a giveaway to their competency, they set forth to tackle this arduous, near-Sisyphean task. Of course, the residents are no cakewalk themselves. Meredith (Annalese Poorman) is the mother clueless about how her lack of preparedness is a detriment to those in her employ while somehow feeling slighted throughout the whole process. Denny (Chaney Morrow), her eldest son/man-child, is seemingly in a constant state of horniness on par with a teenage boy discovering a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for the first time, while her youngest John (Cameron Hollstegge) is actually able to catch the attention of girls at school. The only daughter, Susan (Sé Marie) is naturally under the leering eye of at least one mover at any given time.

Overall, each cast member serves their role quite well. Carlson is believable as the boorish, vulgar hothead who acts as the foil to Knox’s shy guy still hung up on his ex. Lewis’ optimism and naïvete as Kip translate well and is a relatable annoyance for a veteran employee stuck training the greenhorn through a hellish shift in any industry. Poorman steals the show in each scene as every syllable she utters seems to become more and more grating. The only way she could have further embodied the stereotype of wealthy suburban entitlement is if she carried a glass of white wine everywhere. Yet, at the same time, her moments of vulnerability are quite touching and sympathetic. Hollstegge, as the youngest member of the cast, surprisingly has the best one-liner of the film and Morrow just perpetually looks so grimy that it’s almost unnerving.

Moving Themes, But Some Jokes Don’t Make the Trip

Though the film is a comedy, it does cover some more emotional themes that are relatable to nearly every viewer. As with many comedies from twenty-plus years ago, our stars are late twenty-somethings working jobs they hate while struggling to find a purpose for their future. There are elements of regret for leaving the life you once had, continually circling back to a former love you probably shouldn’t, and attempting to move on from a difficult divorce. While this film fully encapsulates the era of humor it pays such homage to, it may be a bit to its detriment. I appreciate the multitude of pop-culture references, but the jokes and quips, while I can see the humor in them, don’t land quite the same for me as they would have ten or fifteen years ago.

Perhaps that’s on me for getting older, but audiences of that current age group might appreciate them. Another hangup for me was the brazen recklessness of the movers as they dumped boxes off of the truck and stick-fighting with lamps right in front of the client. Their complete disregard makes for some good sight gags (the heirloom armoire is a real Chekhov’s Gun here). However, they’re so frequent that it borders on ineptitude, leaving the viewer wondering why they should be rooting for these guys to get to the reunion party, or why we should be watching them at all. As an aside, bonus points to the marketing team for displaying heinous reviews this moving team has gotten on their website.

Conclusion

If you’re a fan of raunchy comedies like Waiting…, Sex Drive, and Superbad, all of which have been cited as an inspiration for this one, book a date with Movers Ultimate today. If you like seeing the success story of a film able to see the light of day thanks to crowdfunding (as I do), then absolutely watch this film to celebrate another victory for independent cinema. I enjoyed the time I spent watching this, and Ben Rood has created a film whose tone and humor have made me nostalgic for so many others at the same time. My only regret is that I now might be too old to literally laugh out loud at this brand of comedy.

Movers Ultimate is available on VOD beginning August 19th, 2022.

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