Writer/Director Sebastian Gutierrez’s latest work, Girl Walks into a Bar, is billed as the first full-length feature to be released exclusively online. It can be seen only on YouTube at no cost with commercial interruptions.
Girl Walks into a Bar resembles Crash, in that it is an ensemble piece with multiple, intersecting stories. It is perhaps more like Pulp Fiction in that it is also a neo-noir with witty dialogue. The film follows the characters in LA in a number of bars over the course of one night and into the following day.
Girl Walks into a Bar is successful on a number of levels. Most of the characters are well-drawn. It is easy to see why the cast would be drawn to this material: there is plenty of witty dialogue – and monologues – to go around. Zachary Quinto, Danny DeVito, Robert Forster, Amber Valletta, Rosario Dawson, and especially Carla Gugino and Emmanuelle Chriqui hand in memorable performances.
On the surface, the title appears to be right on point: the film contains about a dozen scenes of females walking into various bars throughout LA. However, with only a few exceptions, the female characters are stronger people and have more depth than the men. These are women walking into bars. They are not prey for the men; they are in control, and that’s clear from the moment we see Carla Gugino in the opening scene.
The ensemble nature of this movie sometimes sidelines the plot. Every scene is well-done. However, a number of the scenes undermine the tension created in the previous one. All in all, it is an entertaining movie.
Recommended.
This film is not rated. I feel obliged to point out that it is for mature audiences and contains adult language, sexual references, and mild violence.