Now Streaming in Austin: "The Bob Zula"
The rom-com deflated in this quirky short
By Richard Whittaker, 4:24PM, Sat. Apr. 11, 2020
Welcome to Now Streaming in Austin, highlighting locally made titles to watch while self-quarantining. If Say Anything taught us one thing, it's that standing in the street with a boombox over your head doesn't win anyone over. Shame Bob Zula didn't realize that.
As played by Austin-based filmmaker Brandon Reich in his 2008 short, "The Bob Zula," our hero is stuck in small-town suburban nowhere (actually Magnolia), the archetypical nerdish rom-com hero who thinks a bold move will win back his ex-girlfriend. He is, of course, severely mistaken, and he's less the romantic lead than the guy that finally realizes that Blink-182's "Dammit" is actually about him (also that having friends who turn up to romantic encounters with a crowbar may be reason to reconsider some life choices).
Reich, who also wrote and co-directed the original short, has taken this lo-fi skit and turned it into a full feature called (natch) The Bob Zula. It's already played a few festivals (including hometown screenings at the Lake Travis Film Festival and AFS Cinema) and will be heading to Amazon very soon. We'll have a full interview with Reich for the VOD release, but for now enjoy this little piece of the misadventures of the man they call Bob Zula.
The Bob Zula
• YouTube (Link)
A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.
May 14, 2025
May 14, 2025
Now Streaming in Austin, Brandon Reich, The Bob Zula, YouTube, Amazon
