The Last Sparks of Sundown

Winner of best feature film and best director at the Chicago Comedy Film Festival, The Last Sparks of Sundown packs a comedic punch but does not have enough flair to break the mainstream movie market.

The plot is centred around the Spark brothers (Mark Chavez and Shenoah Allen) who, after failing to succeed in maintaining relationships and falling short of general life goals, are bequeathed Sundown House by their English grandfather Sir Buster Sparks and decide to move across the pond. The American brothers attempt to sell their house but due to their awkward bumbling nature and inexperience, they fail and are left desperately unstable. Their awkward but loveable character is a stereotype usually employed by British films but in this American cum British comedy it falls flat on its face.

The film replicates the generic comedic formula typical of small-scale films: cheap jokes, a lack of connection with the audience and an automated reliance on tried and tested clichés.

This is the second collaboration with director James Kibbey for Pajama Men Mark Chavez and Shenoah Allen; their refreshing approach struggle to reach the audience due to jokes lacking in versatility, originality and, above all, seemingly forced.

All in all, the juxtaposition between the fragmented American dream and the unknown foreign land (England) is a unique concept that draws the moviegoer in. The two worlds’ contrast, like in a coming-of-age film, enables the development of the characters: in the US they are slobs in England they are sleuths. Alongside that progression the film uses a British narrator who adopts a fairytale-esque voice layered over the American production to distance both worlds from each other.

Ana De-Jesus

The Last Sparks of Sundown is released nationwide on 27^th July 2015

Watch the trailer for The Last Sparks of Sundown here: