Extra Ordinary; A Delightful Charming Little Comedy with Edgar Wright Vibes. Grade: B
Extra Ordinary tells a story about a driver instructor Rose (Maeve Higgins) who’s father is well known for handling ghosts, as Rose used to be his side kick. Unfortunately Rose’s father has passed away, as Rose hasn’t handle ghosts in many years. A charming fellow Martin (Billy Ward) calls upon Rose, to help him with a ghost problem of his own. As it turns out Martin’s daughter is floating, as she can’t be woken up or she’ll explode. Rose comes back to her ole ways, as her and Martin work together to gather up enough ectoplasm to save Martin’s daughter, from a has been one hit wonder Christian Winter (Will Forte).
The Cinematography was quite charming in some areas. I enjoyed the old footage of Rose’s father’s tapes, thought those were pretty cool. Opening title sequence is pretty neat as well. It’s a nice looking film. The Score was solid as well, I enjoyed the stupid Christian Winter song. I liked the special effects in the beginning and even the ghost design in the end, it was different I must say. The cast all in all was solid as a whole. Rose played by Maeve Higgins played a pretty good performance, compliments this totally awkward woman quite well. As a protagonist Rose was extremely likable, as you can understand her uncertainty in continuing her involvement in this field, due to what has happened in the past with her father. But knowing Martin a sweet guy that’s struggling with the ghost of his passed wife, as his daughter is the only thing remorseful in his life... Rose wanted to stop being afraid and selfish, as she helps this charming fellow out, it was cute. Martin played by Billy Ward had a solid performance, surprising enough this character had a lot of depth to him. He had a completed arc as he tries to over come his fallen wife, whom basically torments his daily life any chance she gets, thanks to the help from Rose. The antagonist of this film played by Will Forte was extremely goofy, however I honestly enjoyed it! His motivation for wanting to do this Satantic ritual was completely silly, however it made a lot of sense. He has been known as a one hit wonder and nothing else above that, so I can see why he would attempt this at a chance for fame once again. Will Forte’s performance makes me forgive him, for that disgraceful display in Scoob... #JusticeforShaggy2020 ! Nice to see Claudia O’Doherty playing Christian’s wife, she played a solid performance as this ridiculous romantic interest character, do check out her show Love on Netflix it’s highly underrated.
One major flaw I have with Extra Ordinary was the ending. I felt it was a bit too much, as it really over stayed it’s welcome as it was completely bizarre in many ways, felt obnoxious. I felt some of the silliness can be a bit over barring at times too. Well me and Extra Ordinary been having a financial adventure. First time this film came available to stream it cost $10-12. Bout a few weeks later the price dropped to $5 on ITunes. Well this Memorial Weekend, Fandango Now had a Memorial Weekend Sale on film purchases and rentals... Extra Ordinary was then available for ninety-nine cents... The art of patience ladies and gentlemen, it’s a beautiful thing
Extra Ordinary reminds me Edgar Wright’s style... Sure the editing and film making may not be on his level, but as a concept and story alone, I do see some resemblance to those kind of films. I liked Extra Ordinary, thought it was a delightful film. The comedy material was actually solid, there were quite a few moments where I had a few good laughs. The goofiness of the film, how it mocks ghosts, and how it mocks those sacrificing their own well being for fame was pretty funny. I really enjoyed the back story of how Martin’s wife died... Hilarious scene! The story itself is silly, however when you have well written characters that are actually interesting, with personality, and have a solid sense of humor... You can achieve a well made comedy. When compared to other recent comedy films... This one actually stands out from the mediocrity we’ve been receiving as of late.
Overall, Extra Ordinary is a solid comedy film. I recommend checking this one out, definitely worth your time and money. Great news to share: My home state in Nevada has allowed Movie Theaters to reopen! Now I do believe they won’t reopen right away, I do estimate a couple week delay, or even at the end of June due to the fact theaters been marketing that Russell Crowe release in July. But the news is truly exciting, as the July comeback in theaters is looking way more promising than first reported months ago. My sanity has come back to life... Thank God!!! -Mitch Smietana