Must Be the Suit

A rainy blue July 5th ended up being the perfect day for seeing Kabluey. It is a comedy at face value, but it dabbles in some somber themes—war, motherhood, and “loserhood.” America is used to the first two themes, and most comedies (think Knocked Up and all Owen Wilson movies) make “loserhood” their singular theme. Scott Prendergast, the writer, director and main character of the film, makes this theme a bit more three dimensional, particularly with the use of a rather remarkable blue mascot-like suit.

Salman, played by Prendergast, resorts to taking a job that involves donning a giant blue suit and handing out flyers. His humiliation is apparent, but Salman, so often snubbed by others, soon takes refuge behind the large head. The suit is alternately funny, scary, and adorable. Kabluey makes a point to fully appreciate the comic effect of the suit, which never seems to get old. Salman learns that the blue costume, like all costumes, allows him to slowly shake free from his coma-like state. By coming out of his shell in the costume, he can cut loose in his own skin. As an English major, I got a big kick out of the suit just because of its rich symbolism. Well, I got a kick out of that and the scenes when Salman reaches for a beer can out of the zip up hole in the suit’s rear end…

The only “big” actor in the cast is Lisa Kudrow. For once, she doesn’t play a relocated Phoebe from Friends. She effortlessly captures the wife of a deployed soldier trying to make ends meet with two sons, who are essentially demon children in the beginning. Always known for her light comic touch, Kudrow’s ability to capture the sheer weariness of her character is impressive.

Kabluey is unassumingly charming. Prendergast doesn’t try too hard, but takes the plot and characters further than simple blue suit gags. Like most movies, the ending seemed to be the trickiest part to work out. I wasn’t quite sure it was the best one, then again I couldn’t think of a better way to end it. But like Salman, I exited the movie with a smile and found that while watching, the rain had passed.