You're Watching A Movie With Silas Lindenstein

DOTTY & SOUL

Written and Directed by: Adam Saunders

Starring: Leslie Uggams, Adam Saunders, Margot Bingham, M. Emmet Walsh, David Koechner, Gary Owen, Alexis Ren

Genre: Comedy

Rating: NR

Runtime: 88 mins

Distributor: Quiver Distribution 

 Synopsis: Hot shot entrepreneur Ethan Cox appears poised to sell his self-driving car company and make his investors filthy rich. But when his problematic Halloween costume gets tweeted, the ensuing social media firestorm nearly ends Ethan’s career. Desperate to figure out a way forward, Ethan hatches a plan: he will hire a 71 year old snack cart vendor, Dotty, to pose as his company’s figurehead, with Ethan still managing from behind the wings. But when Dotty decides to no longer play the straw man, and starts expressing opinions of her own – everything changes.

Silas Says:

I really, really wanted to like this movie when I saw the trailer. And it is well shot, has excellent cinematography, and the acting is nice, especially Leslie Uggams as Dotty, the cart vendor who pretends to be the CEO and face of a company in PR trouble. But despite all my wishes, the film felt like it was made a little too late in our history. It feels like a preachy early 90s comedy, and its improbable plot really made it hard to escape into the movie. I just couldn’t get over the fundamental part of the premise where city buses are canceled because a private Uber-esque company wants to be the only source of public transit. While I appreciate the fear of capitalism further ruining our lives, the way it happens in the film never allowed me to buy into the film.

Again, I appreciate the hard work of the cast and crew and that the writer/director/lead actor wanted to make a film with a message, but that message could have been delivered within a story I could buy into.

Available on DIGITAL and ON DEMAND, May 19th, 2023