Holiday Hostage The Perfect Dysfunctional Thanksgiving
There is a point in time where we all go through those family holiday horrors and nothing highlights this more than recent comedy short, Holiday Hostage.
Brought to you by Co-Creators Abby Walla and David Storch, the film covers the rather traumatic events of a Jewish family thanksgiving dinner. The somewhat overbearing mother, played by Maggie Wheeler of ‘Friends’ fame at the helm, is something, I’m sure we can all relate too.
After a tentative dinner both Abby and David are quick to make their excuses to leave, only to be abruptly thwarted by an unexpected intruder. Enter Gary (Don Stark), a recently released convict whose confused state forces the family to reveal some home truths about their lives. The toilet scene being a very unpleasant circumstance for all involved.
Overall the acting performance is credible, with Maggie Wheeler in particular standing out. The unforgettable voice of Janice lives on even if it is in a somewhat lesser tone. The other cast members also add their own whit and character to this entertaining film.
With the able assistance of director D.W. Moffett, whose pedigree speaks for itself, he previously worked on Happily Divorced and Switched at Birth there was a lot to like about this short. There is also a one or two things that could be improved on, the comedy had its moments but it never really hit the highs for me, that being said I also feel it has a lot of potential for a web series of some kind. Perhaps, instead of treating it as a short film it’s more of a pilot episode where I would be more than eager to see what happens next week.
Last words
Abby and David have done a really good job with Holiday Hostage, it’s well worth seeing and if anything it reminds us to be kinder to our mothers, because without them we wouldn’t be here.
Cast & Credits
Director
D.W. Moffett
Writers
David Storch … (writer)
Abby Walla … (writer)Cast
Maggie Wheeler … Mom
Don Stark … Gary
Bunny Levine … Grandma
David Storch … David
Abby Walla … Abby
Keira Rose … Young Abby (voice) (as Keira Rose Dahm)
Brody Moller … Young David (voice)
Links
Trailer: HOLIDAY HOSTAGE TRAILER
Social Media:
Instagram: @holidayhostage
Facebook: @holidayhostage
Twitter: @Holiday_Hostage
Abby and David are flying high in the festival circuit. They’ve gotten into over 20 festivals and received multiple awards, including 4 “BEST COMEDY”, 1 “BEST PICTURE” and 2 “BEST ENSEMBLE” awards.
Abby’s recent TV credits include Freeform’s new comedy pilot Girls Code directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids), Netflix’s Dear White People, HBO’s Veep, and Freeform’s Switched at Birth. David’s recent credits include Happy Madison’s The Week Of, playing opposite Adam Sandler and Chris Rock, HBO’s Silicon Valley, Amazon’s Goliath, and Freeform’s Young & Hungry.
HOLIDAY HOSTAGE is having its West Coast screening at the San Jose International Short Film Festival on Friday, October 12, 2018, at 7p.m. and on Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 9:30 p.m; and its East Coast screening at the New Hampshire Film Festival Thursday October 11, 2018.
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