If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. Out of Order, a new short film, is a hilarious look at the chaotic nature of living in New York City. The film follows Ernie, who struggles to get to date on time while his digestive system and his city betray him again and again.
It would have been very easy for Out of Order to devolve into childish humor at a number of turns, and at some points it very much toes that line. It never truly breaks down though as it really stays true to that “life in the big city” message and allow you to connect with the primary character in more ways than one. It’s a heartfelt short story surrounded by Seinfeldian humor and little bit of immaturity, which can sometimes be a good thing.
Kareem Rahma does a good job of balancing that ridiculous humor with the sincere story of a man willing to open himself up to love again after a divorce. It would have been very easy for him to lean to far to one side or the other and let this short crumble into nonsense with scattered jokes or just be painfully unfunny, but he walks the line beautifully and gets the right balance.
it ‘s almost a cliche at this point to refer to the city of New York as a character in a story, but it truly is in this case. Throughout the 19-minute runtime, Ernie is continuously beaten down by New York and it really gives a good look at what it can be like to have a bad day in the Big Apple. We also see Ernie display some of that textbook New York attitude for a moment, only for him to get beaten down again.
Overall, Out of Order is just plain fun. It never really pushes the laugh-out-loud buttons but it’s humorous throughout. More importantly, it tells a relatable story and has a lot of heart for a short film about a guy who is frantically searching for a toilet.