Martin & Orloff (2002) Poster

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5/10
Cinematic Cotton Candy
gumpold14 June 2003
Martin & Orloff is a movie about the relationship between a suicide attemptee and his psychiatrist who has as many issues as his patient. The movie made me laugh several times but, like cotton candy, it had no substance to it. It started fading from my mind as soon as I left the theater. Enjoyable but forgetable. I can see myself in a couple of years, if this movie ever makes it to tv, saying "I might have seen that. I'm not sure."
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6/10
A waste of a good cast and an intriguing premise
marklungo-117 August 2006
I really wanted to enjoy "Martin & Orloff," which saddles its first-rate cast with third-rate material. I liked the opening scenes, which made me think that M&O would be a black comedy about a suicidal man trying to readjust to normal life--the scene where Ian Roberts cleans copious amounts of his own blood off his bathroom floor packs a wallop. Unfortunately, the movie soon abandons that idea to focus on the old "psychiatrist who's crazier than his patients" cliché. I could *almost* forgive the psychiatrist and his pals being over-the-top, cartoonish freaks, but the portrayal of the Chinese food mogul and his henchmen as insulting racial caricatures was enough to ruin the film for me. The best aspect of "Martin & Orloff" is seeing David Cross do an early version of his "Arrested Development" character.
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7/10
Hilarious? No.
ritera127 August 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Better than I thought? Yes.

It had a lot of good individual elements.

It moved well, the characters were quickly established and were engaging. I liked everyone, the story was quirky and colorful and had a lot of energy.

Although released in '02, it felt like it was made ten years before. I would have sworn it was done in the 90s. Low budget but had the look of almost having decent money. The direction and camera work had an almost theatrical release---almost. And a good cast of comedy veterans.

But it wasn't laugh-out-loud funny. I laughed at both Hangover movies and Ted. Not this. Amused? Yes.

A solid 7. I wouldn't hunt it down. But if coincidence put you in front of it with no other film, then give it a try. I've seen worse.
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9/10
Had high expectations, which were met.
jstebel9 November 2003
Something I've always loved about watching The Upright Citizen's Brigade when it was on Comedy Central was that its cast really had their own unique brand of humor and delivery. Even if it isn't exactly your style, it's still funny and respectable for how unique and unflagging it is in its consistency. With Martin & Orloff, the unofficial UCB movie, their humor translates to the screen with the same quality and integrity that makes them endearing to anyone with an open and progressive sense of humor.

Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh do an incredible job as the title characters. It is obvious from their comedic chemistry how long they've spent doing improv with each other in the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater. They are quite simply, masters of their craft. While obvious how low a budget this movie had, the director, Lawrence Blume does an Incredible job of stretching the budget and utilizing the higher profile celebrity cameos. David Cross, Andy Richter, Jeanine Garafolo, Rachel Dratch and Tina Fey are all used very well and in small doses so that they don't overshadow the main players. Andy Richter and David Cross's characters in particular, had me out of breath with laughter, as they are both charicatures of people we've probably all met and loathed.

I cannot stress enough how offbeat this particular brand of humor is, but there's nothing that would stop me from recommending this gem to anyone in order to extend its current one-week run at the Sunshine Cinemas in Downtown Manhattan. It truly deserves a larger audience. Go see this wherever you can and go in with an open mind. I guarantee you laugh at times without quite knowing why and you'll feel great about it. I got to see this movie free at an advanced screening and I would gladly (and will later this week) pay to see it again.
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Good, Funny Independent Comedy
josh_m_nileski16 June 2002
I'll be honest: I had high hopes but low expectations for this film. As guilty as that makes me feel, it's true. The movie, however, was better than even my expectations. It's not for everyone, but that's the beauty of independent film. It allows for off-beat, darkly comic writing and the casting of actors like the superb-as-always, H. Jon Benjamin. It would probably be enjoyed most by those who are already fans of the "Upright Citizens Brigade" (all of whom appear, in addition to writer-stars Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh), but I would still recommend it to non-fans, if only for the unique and memorable cinematic experience it will provide them. (Even my mother, who doesn't "understand" most of my comedies I show her, enjoyed herself.) I make no guarantees, but it definitely deserves a shot.
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1/10
Terrible
unreal19457 November 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Let's be honest; this movie is awful. I live in New York and have seen the Upright Citizen's Brigade in action. No question, the gang and all their sidekicks in attendance here, are very, very funny people. But this movie is a mess.

The first 45 minutes: bad. A short list. 1. Fully formed performances: "I'm sad," "I'm crazy," "Hey! I was in the Nam and I sh1t in sinks; I'm crazier!" 2. Original nonsense: "I'm lighting my desk on fire. (This makes me crrrazy.)," "Whoa! I'm a crazy driver. (Did I mention I'm crrrazy?)" "Hey, tackling people is funny. Let's do some tacklin'." (To be fair, the "tacklin'" was the one time I laughed out loud.) 3. "Wow-how'd-they-do-that?" sets: "Hey man, my Dad's unfinished basement can double as a strip joint." "Book it." 4. Excellent character-revealing dialogue: "Me speak-ee with bad accent and squint a rot! Because me Chinese! Also, I crazy."

But I pressed on, hoping for that ironic "it's supposed to be bad, yo" attitude of, say, Wet, Hot American Summer. But no.

The second 45 minutes: badder than the first. And not Michael Jackson, dancing in the subway bad. Just bad. Bad. Really. Really. Bad. "Hey, you're cured and I'm getting married. Let's hear it for the healing power of unfocused wackiness!"
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10/10
Hysterical, offbeat, and really freakin' messed-up.
gsas8229 May 2002
This film was shocking right from the opening sequence, and it's refreshing to see that New York's premiere comedy group hasn't lost anything in the translation from the stage to the screen. The writing is razor-sharp and undeniably witty. The performances are a scream, especially the mellow Walsh as the crazed shrink. Roberts is fabulous as the bewildered Martin, and the supporting cast is equally strong, especially when they are joined by the occasional celebrity in a cameo. This is a fast, funny and thoroughly enjoyable film.
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10/10
Hilarious movie, you'll laugh the whole way through
se7en18718 June 2003
I recently caught this at the 2003 Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan. To start off, this was the best movie at the festival, a hysterical movie that keeps you entertained every minute. I loved it so much, I saw it two times at the festival.

Martin is a mascot designer who unsuccessfully tried to kill himself. He goes to see a psychiatrist, Dr. Orloff, and hilarious events ensue. Written by members of the Upright Citizen's Brigade, Martin and Orloff has many cameos throughout, including Andy Richter, Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey, and Janeane Garafalo.

First time director Lawrence Blume does an excellent job with this film. I had the privilege to meet the director, and he was extremely nice. He had so many great stories to tell about the movie, it was obvious the whole cast and crew had a great time making the movie.

I recommend this movie to anyone who wants a good laugh. There are some certain scenes that aren't for everyone's taste, but it is an excellent movie. One of the best comedies I've seen in a long time.

10/10
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10/10
Holy Crap
BoxinMegSly25 June 2003
I gotta say, Martin & Orloff was probably one of the greatest comedy's I have ever seen. The entire fact that the plot dealt with suicide and yet I was cracking up the great duration of my time spent in the theater definatly proves a point. The movie, in my eyes was a master peice, how I wish I wasn't dyslexic so my message could hold more validity with fewer spelling errors. In short, it kick ass, major, major ass.
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my thoughts on the movie were that it was fantastic
justlikemovies2000-14 November 2003
Martin & Orloff is great. I was lucky to see an advanced screening of the movie and am ecstatic that it is being released in theaters. I have never come across a movie like this; I will never look at an eggroll or a professional wrestler the same way again. Plus, I don' t know how they were able to get such an amazing cast, since the writers (Matt Walsh and Ian Roberts) were both members of the Upright Citizen's Brigade, they know what they are doing. They are (they wrote the script with Katie Roberts)ones to be trusted when it comes to comedy. I really hope everyone goes see this movie, it would be a shame if it didn't get the proper recognition that it deserves.
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9/10
One of the funniest movies I've ever seen
pauliewalnuts11730 April 2005
I just watched this movie for the first time the other day and it was hilarious! Having read the script beforehand, I was expecting much and I wasn't disappointed. However I'm not gonna lie, there were a few TINY details written in the original script that I liked but that I didn't see, but most viewers haven't read the original script so that doesn't matter. If you're a UCB fan than you'll especially love this movie (if you don't know what UCB stands for then you're not a fan), but even if you're just a regular joe who loves crazy off-beat comedies, this is still a MUST-SEE! Unless you're a producer or just a friend of a producer, you have to wait until September to buy this movie, but don't worry it's worth the wait.
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