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The Movie: A 2003 Comedy Central feature that resembles a feature-length "Punk'd", "Windy City Heat" is an elaborate practical joke (which apparently has been going on for years) by a bunch of comedians on one of their pals. The picture focuses on one Perry Caravallo, a rough, egotistical, hostile and quite dim aspiring middle-aged aspiring actor. The picture opens with Perry and his pals headed off to Hollywood, with his pals convincing him that he's the "next big thing" and that there's no way that he could possibly fail his next audition. Although he screws up his audition for director Bobcat Goldthwait, he eventually wins them over and Perry gets the part over the other contender - no less than Carson Daly (in one of the funnier scenes of the flick, a wall of photos of various actors - including Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis and others - has been X'd out, with Perry's photo displayed at the end of the row.) The picture, "Windy City Heat", is a ridiculously awful detective/action flick starring Perry as "Stone Fury", but Perry buys in wholly and completely, even when a scene requires him to be thrown in manure repeatedly. In fact, every element of the whole joke is so over-the-top (the whole production crew all have fake names - the set photographer is Ansel Adams) that one wonders how anyone wouldn't clearly be able to figure out that the whole thing is a scam. The whole thing even ends with a premiere for the phony flick. However, as over-the-top as it gets, Perry's mixture of ego and fury is almost enough to make one believe that he could be suckered into the whole thing. Phony or not, "Windy City Heat" still manages some laughs as Perry continues to sink himself in deeper as a series of hidden cameras record the irritable aspiring actor's road to "stardom". The DVD VIDEO: "Windy City Heat" is presented by Paramount in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen widescreen. Shot on cameras of varying quality, the film's image quality isn't terrific, but it's watchable. While some scenes appear reasonably crisp and clear, other scenes can look rather digital and hazy. Some scenes show some minor artifacting and grain, but others look clear. Colors generally appear a little flat, but I'm guessing the film has always looked this way. SOUND: The stereo soundtrack offered clear dialogue, even during Perry's tantrums. EXTRAS: Aside from an audio/video commentary from Perry, we also get a featurette showing "the reveal" as Perry watches the final film for the first time, deleted scenes and "past Perry moments." Final Thoughts: Fake or not, "Windy City Heat" still manages to get some laughs, as Perry gets put through an escalating set of scams as the cameras roll. The DVD offers decent audio/video quality and a few solid extras. Rent it. 
Film Grade The Film B- DVD Grades Video 83/B Audio: 85/B Extras: 80/B- |