Being Regis Philbin
By Jim Dedman, Fri., May 5, 2000
21 min., Netbroadcaster.com
Capitalizing on the success of both Who Wants To Be a Millionaire and Being John Malkovich, Twelve Rakes Films produced the short comedy in which P.J., the lead vocalist of a Los Angeles boy band, finds a soda machine which magically transports him into the mind of game show host Regis Philbin. Predictably, P.J. exploits the opportunity to promote his band, which results in the hit single "Girl, Don't Say It's Your Final Answer." The hijinks continue until the portal is short-circuited when his bandmates invoke a plot twist from an obscure Star Trek episode. Director Anthony Scarpa adequately paces the 21-minute comedy, and the cast is likable and amusing. The only flaw is Scott Roeben, who can't seem to decide how best to mimic Philbin. But the film ultimately succeeds, because unlike most television sketch comedians, the producers know when to retire the joke before it becomes stale and unwelcome.