Skills Like This

In Monty Miranda's Skills Like This, screenwriter-lead actor Spencer Berger plays Max, a struggling writer who makes an interesting career switch after a production of his play The Onion Dance causes a near-fatal heart attack in his grandfather. Sitting at a Mexican restaurant, Max is seized by the idea of robbing the bank across the street, which he impulsively proceeds to do, later entering a giddy zone of invulnerability that encourages him to steal again and again to keep the rush going. The beautiful thing about Max's criminal career is that it's loose, intuitive, and inspired in all the ways Max hasn't discovered how to be as a writer, ultimately leading him—in a memorable climax—precisely where he wanted to go as an artist. Kerry Knuppe adds a nice performance as a bank teller who becomes romantically involved with antihero Max, but far less persuasive or welcome are Max's obligatory worrywart and slacker best friends (Brian D. Phelan and Gabriel Tigerman), whose hijinks simply distract. Miranda, a successful director of commercials, shoots the film with slick economy and efficiency, but also resorts to unnecessary effects and startling angles. Boasting an interesting premise but uneven execution, Skills Like This is an optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include interviews with the cast and crew, including director Monty Miranda (16 min.), deleted and extended scenes (13 min.), a brief SXSW award acceptance speech, a text filmmaker bio, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a flawed but often intriguing film.] (T. Keogh)