I do watch a lot of short films as way of entertainment, and the majority of them probably wash out as being around the 12 minute mark give or take. In the case of Ropes of Silicon it runs more like an episode of a TV show, since it is pretty much 30 minutes long. Within that longer running time (for a short film), we meet a lot of characters who are in and around the world of an aspiring agent in Los Angeles. The agent (Raffaello) is trying to get up with his few existing clients, keep his driver happy and most importantly, keep his impatient and demanding wife satisfied. There is a lot of energy in this 30 minutes and a lot going on.
As a tone it does have a slightly cynical edge, with the type of Hollywood clichés spoofed as we are used to seeing in everything from The Player through to Entourage. On this level it is perhaps broad enough to distract, and for sure the film does make good efforts to cover up its low budget, with pretty good use of locations and careful shooting to make spaces feel busier or more expensive. The comedic value of the characters and scenarios is pretty limited; again the energy and the broadness will get a few chuckles, but generally it is not as smart or as cynical as it would like to think – it feels like it has been made by people who are aping the writing of others with bitter experience, rather than writing from their own experiences.
The real issue with the film is that there is very little below this broad energy. The characters are very general and broad, which works on some levels, but doesn't do anything to make you interested in them. Towards the end there is maybe some element of connection and character with the lead two, but it is too little too late since most of the film to that point had been her barraging him, while he mugged and pulled faces. Maybe fans of Entourage will get something from this, but for me although I did like elements of the sheer force of personality it had, I must admit I found little to laugh at, or really care about.
