Highball (1997) is a film that I was surprised had slipped under my radar. It’s basically your typical indie comedy from the ’90s, with a cast of stars who spent most of the ’90s starring in your typical indie comedies. The story behind the film may be a bit more interesting than the film itself, but it does serve its purpose. After shooting Mr. Jealousy (1997), director Noah Baumbach took the materials he had left over and, along with Carlos Jacott and Christopher Reed, put together a high-concept comedy that they planned to shoot in six days.
For Baumbach, the project needed more money and time to complete it properly, and he would eventually abandon the film. Highball would eventually be completed without his input, and released on DVD. It’s not as bad as he thinks; in fact, it’s good, but he removed his name from it, and the film would go on to have a life of its own. Now available on Blu-ray, Highball may be poised to find a new audience.
Travis (Christopher Reed) and Diane (Lauren Katz) are known for throwing some of the best parties. This year, they plan on throwing three. The first is a birthday party for their friend Felix (Carlos Jacott); the second is to have a Halloween Masquerade and to finish off the right way, they plan a New Year’s Eve bash. While the parties are meant for everyone to have a great time, something always seems to go wrong for someone. It’s all a part of life, but whether or not they’re perfect, the parties will definitely be memorable.
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Highball isn’t a bad movie at all. It’s actually quite funny and witty, but not in the typical Hollywood kind of way. It’s funny in the way you just don’t see enough of anymore. It relies on dialogue, delivery, and timing never veering into sight gags or pratfalls. Its humor is derived from the situation, and not forced.
It was great to see so many terrific performers shine, even though this is kind of a massive ensemble piece and not everyone has an abundance of screen time. With a cast that also includes Justine Bateman, Eric Stoltz, Ally Sheedy, Annabella Sciorra, Dean Cameron, and many more, it’s impossible to give everyone enough material, but it all sort of balances out.
Baumbach may not be particularly fond of Highball, but in my opinion, it’s well worth investing 90 minutes in a film that will take you back in time to a period when indie films reigned, and these types of comedies were far more abundant on the circuit. The new Blu-ray from MVD Visual is light on the special features, but the 75-min feature-length documentary offers up some new insight into the process of creating this experimental feature.
