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"Don't Shoot The Pharmacist!" Official Site

I'm not usually into comedies, but I've been interested in "Don't Shoot the Pharmacist" ever since Myles MacVane was telling us about it during our online interview here. You can think CLERKS in a pharmacy, directed by real Pharmacist Dave Broitman. The film stars Ben Bailey (Cash Cab), Godfrey (Phat Girlz, Soul Plane, 7-up Spokesman),Steve Byrne (Comedy Central) and Ardie Fuqua (VH1, MTV). When I got my screener in the mail I had the flu, so I contacted Broitman to let him know it was going to be a few days before I could get to the review. He sent me an email with a detailed list of the exact medicine and vitamins I should take to get over it quickly. I thought that was pretty cool of him, and it actually took me a few minutes to realize that the reason he was able to tell me exactly what I needed was because this is really is his profession. That's amazing in itself, and that's exactly why 'Pharmacist' has such an authentic feel.

Ben Bailey and Edwin Matos are flawless as the Pharmacist and his assistant. I totally buy their characters, and I can't imagine anyone doing a better job. When Bailey is conned into working on his night off, we see what goes on in the pharmacy on the night shift. We have time codes here and there and it really feels like this is taking place over the course of a night. I'm sure these characters and situations are over the top, but I get the feeling that working the graveyard shift at a real 24 hour pharmacy in a city wouldn't be very much different.

Throughout the night we meet tramps, junkies and assorted weirdos. I find it really amusing that IMDB has characters listed as Pico the Shitter, Robber's Bitch, and Jock Itcher. There's too many great characters and actors to go into here, but I think this is about as perfect of a cast as you'll ever find, and each one adds something to the story.

Myles MacVane (Thicker Than Water: The Vampire Diaries Part 1) is hilarious as the senile man who forgot to take his medication, and he steals every scene he's in. I couldn't help but snicker every time he was onscreen. Jayson Simba brings a subtle humor as a customer with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that is waiting for his prescription. On the first viewing you may not even realize that he's cleaning the entire store in the background for most of the film. In fact, most of the humor is so sharp, and there is so much going on, that you'll want to watch it a second time just to see what you may have missed. As soon as it was finished, I skipped back to the beginning and watched it again.

I really appreciate that the whole film takes almost entirely on one set, but still keeps your interest. A lot of this film reminded me of some of the old television sitcoms that took place in a city such as Barney Miller, Taxi, and Night Court. I would be interested to find out if any of these old shows had any influence on 'Pharmacist'. I've already decided that I want to see this made into a weekly television series, but ONLY if they able to keep the full cast.

I have to warn everybody that some of the humor is pretty crude. This would not be considered a family friendly comedy. Personally, I would have liked to have had a bit less toilet and erection humor because I think it ended up cheapening it. It's just that some of these scenes caused it to float closer to the sheer vulgarity of the Clerks movies than say, Office Space, where it easily could have been. I really hope to see a sequel, and I hope the next one leans more toward the latter. This is the only reason I can't call this film a total comic masterpiece. I have to say though, that Cathrine Georges (The Open Door) was a TROOPER throughout.

Still, these are small nitpicks, and I may just be losing my sense of humor in my old age. This is still an example of independent filmmaking at it best. I'm sure that all fans of comedies will dig this film. This DVD also has the best features I have ever seen on an independent release. As usual, if you don't want to spend the money on an untested movie, then you should ask Netflix or your favorite video rental store to start carrying it as soon as possible. It turns out that there is also a good chance that Comedy Central may pick this up. Everyone should contact them at the above link and tell them that they should feature "Don't Shoot the Pharmacist" as soon as possible. While you're at it, tell them you want to see a weekly series too.

DVD Extras Include:

English subtitles

Trailer

A Behind the Scenes Featurette

"Chillin' with the Boys" in which four of the leads ad lib a scene

A bonus short film titled "Mop That" starring Ben Bailey, Dave Broitman and Amy Shute

A televised interview with director Dave Broitman, and star Myles MacVane

Scene Selection