Fran Kranz and the alluring Nicky Whelan in Rebirth
“Remember the stoner guy from Cabin in the Woods?” somebody asked me once. “They had to dress him down and hide his physique for that movie. He’s actually, like, super cut.” Whoever that was—I forget—they were absolutely right. The dorky, affable Fran Kranz gets to show off his taut physique in Rebirth, a trippy disciple of David Fincher’s The Game. What’s more, his acting is as pitch perfect as his abs.
After unsubtly conveying Kranz’s treadmill existence with, um, a shot of him on a treadmill, the movie introduces us to his old college buddy (Adam Goldberg), who invites him to a weekend at something called Rebirth. He won’t give any details, but urges him to go. Kranz does, and we see the increasingly bizarre and uncomfortable goings on through his eyes. I’d be remiss to tell you what exactly is up with Rebirth, but the movie goes to some dark and outlandish places—so much so that a couple people walked out. Genre vets Harry Hamlin (Clash of the Titans) and Pat Healy (The Innkeepers) turn up in small but extremely memorable roles.
Rebirth is weird without being gratuitous, and its razor sharp satire and engaging comedy make it well worth the ride.
LQQK Rating: Queernes--3 (for male-male and female-female homoeroticism), Quality--4
Rebirth screens tonight, April 21 at 10:30pm as part of the Tribeca Film Festival. Check tribecafilm.com/festival for more info.
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