ROCKIN' CHAIR (2000)
REVIEWS

SOUTHERN ARTS FILM REVIEW 2001
WRITTEN BY: Travis T

Equal parts affable drama and sarcastic comedy, Rockin' Chair is the story of a band with more heart than the Wilson sisters and worse luck than Lynyrd Skynard. The small group of lads get their gear in the van and head to their very first performance in front of a live audience. The drummer, of course, will be joining them later. But when the boys arrive at the club, it becomes obvious that their first gig might not be happening after all. Rockin' Chair may be set in the cold grey drizzle of England, but it tells a bright shinning story as familiar to aspiring rockers as blood banks and herpes.

Bands in England are hard as hell. Obviously, they're hard musically: look at all the classic metal that set sail from those shores. The band in Rockin' Chair doesn't sound hard, but they earn major thug points for bum rushing the club owner when he refuses to book them. That's hilarious. And the thugging doesn't stop there. The boys talk smack to the sound man for being a Dungeon Master and try locking the bartender in the storage room so they can rack some beer and this is before they've even played.

All of this boisterous ape-like behaviour is exactly what a band needs to do in order to actually rock. Their behaviour is offset by some great casting, giving us a teenage band that looks nice and polite. Paolo Sedazzari has created a rowdy and touching short, and fans of the music-scene comedy genre should check it out.