Acting | Reports

Uncovering ‘Overserved’

1 Oct , 2003  

Written by Hilary Barraford | Posted by:

Actress Hilary Barraford gives an insider’s look at the new independent film 'Overserved,' a comic showdown at a typical Boston bar between the bar staff and the barflies they serve.

I’ve spent the last seven months wisecracking and waitressing as a principal cast member in "Overserved," the all-Beantown independent comedy about tending bar that strives to help reestablish this r-less Hub as a film hub once again. But I have a confession to make that not even Joe Gatto — the writer, director, and star of "Overserved" — knows: I have underestimated this film since my first audition.

I was convinced that the casting call last October was a waste of time. After running lines rife with lesbian overtones in front of an overjoyed panel of guys, I dismissed the film as a vehicle for this primitive group to get their kicks. Secretly, I hoped I wouldn’t hear from Gatto again.

Six months later, Gatto called. Thirty minutes later, I finally placed who he was and almost declined his invitation to read for a role he needed to recast. The film’s recent successes — a sold-out fundraiser at the House of Blues in Harvard Square and a radio appearance on 101.7 FNX Boston — outshone my lackluster first impression, so I went to the Samuel Adams Brewery in Jamaica Plain, the film’s unofficial headquarters, to both give, and get, a second chance.

When he offered me the role of Kristen Hamilton, Gatto explained, "You just get it." His actor criteria was two-prong: whether an actor’s comic instincts, like his script, would "push the limits" of funny, and whether the group would gel. In short, he wanted a cohesive, comic cast. Indeed, some cast members are in the funny business, like stand-ups Lamont Price, Scott Carney, Rich Gustus, Paul Shea, Todd Gorell, and Christine and Mike Herman, to name a homegrown few. Seasoned stage and screen veterans round out the cast, from Amy Shea, who waxes poetic about Dove products in a national spot, to Rob Savage, a mainstay on Walt Disney’s hit children’s program "Bug Juice."

Though the cast had been rehearsing for half a year, I quickly adjusted to the routine. Every Sunday afternoon we’d flock to the Brewery to run scenes, and nearly every Sunday evening we’d adjourn to a crewmember’s house to master the tools of our trade — steins, mugs, glasses, and the liberating libations they hold. During three months of pre-production, the line was frequently blurred between a good film and a good time.

One hazy evening in his own backyard, however, Gatto brought that line into piercing focus. Another cast member, itching to write a screenplay, sought advice. Gatto was cemented as a filmmaker with his insight: "Easy. Write like Shakespeare. Shakespeare wrote in three acts: introduce your characters; put them in a situation that seems hopeless; then rescue them. It’s a simplistic formula, but it works." Borrowing a page from the Bard is as old as the prolific scribe himself, but, as an English major, I could certainly appreciate someone who understood how to tell a story.

By the time shooting began in June, our good time had laid the groundwork for a good film. We were as tight as a real bar staff, and well rehearsed. When we arrived on set, the level of professionalism was overwhelming for an indie. The flick’s fundraiser had attracted not only producers and an award-winning editor with two decades’ experience (who goes only by his first name, Christo), but also John Rule of Rule Broadcast Systems in Boston, who graciously gifted high-definition cameras. Pioneered by George Lucas with "Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones" in 2000 (the first hi-def camera was custom made by Sony and Panavision for Lucasfilm Ltd.), the digital medium offers instantaneous feedback — it’s as simple as hitting rewind. With razor sharp picture dripping in rich hues, the production value of "Overserved" is staggering for an independent film on a shoestring budget.

Gatto has worked tirelessly to get his film made, but he’s had a little luck, too. "Anyone that says you can’t make a feature film in Boston for under 10 grand is wrong," he asserts. "Of course you need to have the ultimate combination of karma and balls. Imagine Ghandi if he were a grifter."

Fortunately, Gatto neither fasted nor schemed to bring his team on board; all volunteered. In fact, his Director of Photography, respected cinematographer Tony Flanagan, doubles as his long-suffering childhood friend. Flanagan, flanked by an expert crew, was unstoppable on set. Leaping tall bars in a single bound, he’d gaff, block, shoot, and even occasionally assistant direct. Flanagan and Gatto worked as a team, sharing a unique vision for "Overserved." In Gatto’s words, they wanted to make "an independent comedy on hi-def that constantly moves the camera. Think Martin Scorsese directing ‘Airplane.’"

One actor, comedian Lamont Price, took their vision of constant camera motion to heart. During a scene that chronicles customers’ offenses, the script called for him to gag when he spied a revolting item discarded on the table, then bolt out of frame. He gagged with conviction and fled with urgency. Then he improvised. After a beat, he crisscrossed the frame, hauling like a cartoon character about to be accordianized by an anvil, his hand desperately cupped over his mouth, and kicked through the door as if he were a federal agent on a raid. "Cut! Kid, brilliant!" Gatto gushed.

The room was buzzing with praise for Price’s off-the-cuff performance, but he wasn’t there to hear it. I cracked the door to find him and saw it: a trail of, er, dinner, spaced as if Hansel were wending his way home. Watching the footage back, chaos erupted. Gatto laughed so hard he actually cried. Price paid an unpleasant price for his method acting, but also boasts the only one-take scene in the film.

A deluge of hilarious moments just like this one flooded the production of "Overserved," which wrapped in August. These zany episodes, both on camera and off, exemplify Gatto’s motivation to make this film. "I just have not seen a comedy lately that really takes it to the next level, a la [‘Monty Python and the] Holy Grail,’" Gatto laments. "I mean they hacked off a guy’s limbs and it’s funny? I strive for that level of comedy." With plans to pepper film festivals across the country this fall with "Overserved," Gatto hopes the judges will recognize "that level of comedy" in his work and show the film.

In the end, Gatto’s goal is simple: "‘Overserved’ is my brainchild. I wanted to make a comedy that offended, entertained, and just made people laugh."

I’ll be seeing "Overserved" for the first time with the rest of my hometown at the Boston premiere in November. Since my audition a year ago, I have been offended, then entertained, and, finally, caught in frequent gut-busting fits of laughter on set. I encourage you to underestimate "Overserved." When you can’t hear the next joke over your own laughter, you’ll realize it’s won you over, too.

For more information on ‘Overserved,’ including film clips and November premiere buzz, check out www.overservedthemovie.com.


For more information on 'Overserved,' including film clips and November premiere buzz, check out www.overservedthemovie.com.

Leave a Reply