It can be mildly jarring to hear an F-word uttered in “Plantman and Blondie: A Dress Up Gang Film.” Authenticity to its Los Angeles setting seems to demand it on choice occasions, but the local comedy troupe’s genteel cinematic debut, which exudes a desire to return to simpler times, flirts with a PG rating for much of its runtime, sure to become its most offensive element to some who look for more crass humor, but when director Robb Boardman and crew don’t seem to have a mean bone in their body, plotting out a heist movie involving the meticulous theft of plants, the counterintuitive amiability of the whole endeavor is what gives it the extra bit of edge to stand out.
A discontent with modernity in general is turned into an actual enemy in “Plantman and Blondie” where the fact that Cory (Cory Loykasek) is obliged to let coworkers see the inside of his spare apartment on Zoom calls leads him to get some greenery to spruce up the joint at the request of his boss Neil (Kevin Nealon). A few years back, this might’ve been a meeting in a conference room and Cory might’ve had less work, scouting potential sites around town to pave over for lots in his assistant position at Pair-a-Dice Parking scooping up land from still-existing businesses with underutilized real estate value. The job doesn’t make him particularly happy, nor does he have much of a life outside of it when the computer reduces any interest in leaving the house or connecting with others, making an accident where he runs into a bicyclist named Donny (Donny Devanian) actually seem like a blessing in disguise, leading him to casual conversation after there’s no injury to Donny. Rather than seeking financial compensation for his damaged bike, he just wants Cory to drive him around town for a week while the bike is repaired, having an ulterior motive that his new chauffeur is slow to catch onto.
It is bound to bring a smile to your face as the plot of “Plantman and Blondie” starts to resemble a certain contemporary noir classic, which the filmmakers address before you can entirely put a finger on it yourself with Kirk (Kirk Fox), a recently paroled friend of Cory’s recognizing a criminal enterprise when he sees it, not necessarily from his own experience but the movies he’s seen. That kind of self-awareness leads to a broadly charming caper in a few different respects when the laughs are mostly polite, but the film’s heart is always in the right place as Cory need not ever worry he will be implicated in any homicides, but minor misdemeanors at best that he can actually feel somewhat good about when Donny is insistent on taking care of neglected houseplants, a task that ultimately requires the traits of a skilled assassin in a city where nurturing things and keeping them alive often requires more effort than making a killing.
One might believe that the very reason “Plantman and Blondie” was made out of the same instinct that leads Donny and Cory on a string of robberies, providing them with a reason to get together and have some fun and the film has the shaggy feel of a production that was shot over weekends by friends, though the sophistication of the narrative itself and the skill behind it sneak up on you. The sun-dappled film is easy on the eyes, thanks to frequent “I Think You Should Leave” cinematographer Markus Mentzer, and as a plot unfolds where Donny and Cory bond over their criminal endeavors, so too are those who become victims of their exploits who find each other through NextDoor comment threads, leading to a sense of community on both sides of the law in a place known with its commuter culture to make its residents lonely as people are lured from behind their computers at Internet cafes or behind desks at home to get outside and engage. In a film where no one gets their hands too dirty, the pleasures are modest, but add up as anything done collectively can.
“Plantman & Blondie: A Dress Up Gang Film” will screen again at SXSW on March 15th at 3:30 pm at Alamo Lamar 8 and March 18th at 11:15 am at Alamo Lamar 1.